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Long Road Racing will build you the Miata that Mazda won't

One of the frustrating things about new cars today is that many features are exclusive to this trim level, or that package. Even the enthusiast-friendly Miata has many restrictions how you can configure one, which can make choosing one a bit tricky. You can't have the cheapest one or the leather-clad one with a limited slip differential, for example. And adding aftermarket parts on your own runs the risk of voiding your warranty. Long Road Racing, however, has a possible solution for creating the ideal, warranty-covered Miata. You may not be familiar with Long Road Racing, but you probably heard about one of its most-publicized products, the MX-5 Cup car. The car was developed by Mazda with the intention of creating a global spec series, and Mazda reports that about 140 of the cars have been sold so far. Every single one of those cars went to Long Road Racing to be specced out for racing before reaching their customers. So the company is familiar with the car, and has applied its expertise to its "Ultimate MX-5" program. The way the program works is, once you've purchased a 2016 or 2017 Miata, you can send it to the company to have it customized to your needs. The company has an extensive list of parts to choose from, all of which have been selected by the company to work well together. But if you need something outside of its offerings, or just need help choosing from the list, you can get in touch with the company to discuss how best to achieve your goals. Long Road Racing will also customize any trim level of Miata, and can even create a Miata Mazda didn't offer. For instance, you could have a Grand Touring with the leather interior, but also with the limited-slip differential and Brembo brakes from the Club model. All of these parts are fully warrantied by Long Road Racing for the length of the OEM warranty, and they don't void the factory warranty. We had the opportunity to try out a car customized by Long Road Racing at the M1 Concourse track in Pontiac, Mich. The car was there to sample alongside some of the MX-5 Cup cars as well as several of Mazda's stock road cars to drive on course. The road-going Long car started as a Grand Touring model, and it retains its heated leather seats and automatic climate control.

Mazda de Mexico celebrates 100,000th car built

Automakers and their factories celebrate production milestones all the time. Some are interesting enough to report on and some aren't, but what makes this one stand out is that the plant opened less than a year ago. Just 11 months since production began, Mazda de Mexico Vehicle Operation has put together its 100,000th vehicle – in this case a Mazda2 hatchback headed for Europe. MMVO is one of three plants assembling the company's smallest model, also known as the Demio in Japan, where it is also produced, with additional assembly taking place in Thailand under a joint venture with Ford. The Mexican location also handles assembly of the Mazda3 for the Americas and for Europe. Mazda has announced that it is expanding production at MMVO by 150 percent of this year's capacity to 250,000 units per year by March 2016 as it takes on contract manufacturing for Toyota as well.

8 cars we're most looking forward to driving in 2015

Now that 2014 is officially in the books, it's time to look ahead. And following our list of the cars we liked best last year, we're now setting our sights at the hot new metal that's coming our way in 2015. Some of these, we've already seen. And some are still set to debut during the 2015 auto show season. But these are the machines that keep us going – the things on the horizon that we're particularly stoked to drive, and drive hard. Jeep Renegade Not the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Not the Ford Mustang GT350. Not the new John Cooper Works Mini. Nope, I'm looking forward to the adorable, trail-rated Jeep Renegade. And that's because I really, really, really like our long-term Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. I do not, however, care too much for the Cherokee's looks, and I really don't like its $38,059 price tag. The Renegade Trailhawk, meanwhile, promises much of the same rough-and-tumble character as its big brother, but at what we expect will be a more reasonable price (I'm personally wagering on the baby Jeep's off-road model starting at no more than $23,000). With a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a nine-speed automatic, it should also be a bit easier to fill than the V6-powered Cherokee. Also, I can't help but love the way the Renegade looks. It's like someone took a Wrangler, squished it by 50 percent and then handed it off to George Clinton for a healthy dose of funk. The interior, with its bright, expressive trims and color schemes should also be a really nice place to spend some time. I'll be attending the Renegade's launch later this month, so I'll have a much shorter wait than my colleagues. Here's hoping the baby Jeep lives up to my expectations. – Brandon Turkus Associate Editor Mazda MX-5 Miata Here's an uncomfortable truth: I'd rather spend a day driving a properly sorted Mazda MX-5 Miata of any generation on a winding road than I would nearly any other vehicle, regardless of power, price or prestige. It's not just that I prize top-down driving and enjoy the Miata's small size because it gives me more road to play with. I just find there's more motoring joy to be had with high-fidelity handling and an uncorrupted car-to-driver communication loop than I do with face-distorting power or grip – let alone valet-stand gravitas. But perhaps most of all, I love Miatas because they can deliver that level of feedback and driver reward at modest speeds that won't put the locals on edge or endanger lives – you can use more of the car more of the time.