2008 Mazda Mx-5 Miata Sport Convertible Silver/black Barely Driven No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Toyota will build new SUV at Alabama plant it's building with Mazda

WASHINGTON — Toyota Motor Corp said Wednesday it will build a new sport utility vehicle at its $1.6 billion joint venture assembly plant in Alabama rather than produce Corolla cars. The largest Japanese automaker announced in January 2018 it would build the factory in Alabama in a joint venture with Mazda. Toyota said the shift is due to "a growing consumer appetite for light trucks and SUVs." Mazda announced in February 2019 that it would build a new SUV at the plant. Toyota said it still expects the plan to start production in 2021. Construction remains on schedule, and hiring has begun. The plant could create up to 4,000 new jobs and build 300,000 vehicles annually. Corolla production will remain at Toyota's plant in Blue Springs, Miss.

Mazda to relocate its US offices into Irvine's tallest building

Mazda is the latest foreign automaker to be moving its North American headquarters. Only this time, it's not moving further south. Instead, the Japanese automaker is simply relocating to another facility in Irvine, CA. In a little over a year from now, Mazda North American Operations will move to 200 Spectrum Center Drive (pictured in the rendering at right), taking up five of the 21 floors in Orange County's tallest building for a total of over 100,000 square feet of office space. It'll also take up half the lobby with vehicles on display and the exclusive naming rights on the top of the building. The facility, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, boasts full glass walls from floor to ten-foot ceiling for uninterrupted 360-degree views. Mazda has been in its current US headquarters at 7755 Irvine Center Drive (pictured above) since 1987. The five-story building was specifically constructed for the purpose and was the tallest in Irvine at the time. Prior to that it was based in Compton from 1970. The move to the new facility is scheduled to take place in February, 2017. Mazda's announcement marks only the most recent of foreign automakers to relocate their North American headquarters. Toyota is moving to Texas, Subaru to Camden, Lotus to Ann Arbor, Daimler to Farmington Hills, and Mercedes-Benz to Atlanta (where Porsche recently relocated, as well). Cadillac also recently moved from GM's Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit to its new headquarters in New York. Hyundai and Kia also quarter their North American operations in Irvine, as does Aston Martin. Meanwhile Honda and Toyota (for the time being) are based less than an hour away in Torrance, and Mitsubishi halfway in between in Cypress. Though they no longer sell passenger cars in North America, Isuzu and Suzuki still operate their US bases in SoCal as well, in Anaheim and Brea, respectively – all municipalities located just south of Los Angeles. Nissan and Subaru also base their US operations outside of California, with head offices in Tennessee and New Jersey, respectively. Related Video: Mazda Set To Relocate North American Headquarters in 2017 - With 50 years of roots in Southern Calif., Irvine will remain 'home' for Mazda - IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) has spent the last three years bringing all-new, upscale vehicles to the U.S. and earning outstanding critical acclaim in the process.

The redesigned 2019 Mazda3 moves way upscale

Mazda didn't lie — the 2019 Mazda3 is a gently reworked production version of the Kai concept shown at last year's Tokyo Auto Show. In hatchback and sedan forms, you'll still quickly peg this a Mazda3. The dimensions barely change: The wheelbase grows by an inch, but the hatchback width and length carry over, while height decreases by an inch; the sedan is the same width but 3.2 inches longer and 0.7 inches lower. Nevertheless, the look and details have evolved throughout, yielding a much more potent and piercing hatchback, and a more sophisticated, accomplished sedan. Instead of using hard shoulder and swage lines to "draw" contour onto a flat profile, Mazda designed a car with contours that create real shoulders and hips. Shedding the illusion of surface depth for reality redefines the look and presence of the Mazda3. The new model erases the hash of lines and embossed panels in back of the current car so that the S-curved hatch has only its shutline for framing. After that, the highlights enhance the theme. On either side of the larger grille, single-lens headlamps get new accents; instead of a just plain silver bar, streaks of amber turn signals decorate the more dimensional units. The contoured taillamp housing holds highly structured, highly embellished twin circles that probably look even more sinister at night. On the sedan, those naughty taillights are surrounded by a refined rear valance with a more angled, muscular lip along the trailing edge. It's the same inside, a design based on results of Mazda's in-depth studies of human mechanics. The flatter instrument panel stresses clean lines along the horizontal. Trimmer steering wheel spokes with silver buttons line up with the central span across the dash housing the climate control buttons and vents. The new shift panel sits higher and more forward, making it easier for the driver to move a hand from the steering wheel to the lever. To raise perceived luxury, the center tunnel trim is a clear layer laid over a laser-engraved black layer, said to produce a "look of deep transparency," and similar to the effect found on the new BMW X5 and X7. The cupholders are now in front of the shifters, and the armrest is longer. There's no mention of that digital gauge cluster that leaked earlier this year, though. Buyers who opt for fabric will get a new "Greige" hue, a mix of gray and beige. Mazda designed a new leather grain with creases of varying depths and shapes depending on where it's placed.