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Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru expand global Takata recalls by 715k [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Subaru of America spokesperson Michael McHale tells Autoblog that the company is recalling 78,000 Imprezas from the 2004 and 2005 model years in the US. This is a national expansion of the company's previous regional recall for the Impreza. The Takata airbag inflator recall just keeps growing. The latest expansion encompasses 715,000 vehicles from Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru. Many of the affected models are in Japan. The largest expansion from these three automakers comes from Mitsubishi. According to Reuters, the company is adding 100,000 vehicles in Japan and 412,000 outside of the country without identifying any specific regions. Mazda is issuing safety campaigns for 112,000 vehicles in Japan, and some of these include models that the company produces there for Mitsubishi and Nissan, according to Reuters. In statement to Autoblog (embedded below), Mazda said that it is still evaluating the situation in terms of a possible effect on the US. Finally, Subaru is calling in 91,000 Imprezas in Japan. At this time, it isn't clear whether Mitsubishi's or Subaru's expansions affect the United States, but Autoblog has reached out to them for more information. According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, exposure to moisture can cause the propellant in these inflators to ignite too quickly and cause these dangerous ruptures. Takata has also been investigating the problem. Related Video: Mazda statement "We are aware of the NHTSA/Takata announcement, and are evaluating the effects of it on Mazda. As soon as we have had a chance to fully evaluate the situation – number of vehicles affected, age of those vehicles, where they're located, etc. – we will be able to share those details."

Mini Cooper Countryman only small car to earn good grade in latest IIHS crash tests [w/video]

Competitors in the small-car segment didn't do nearly as well. Four vehicles earned "poor" grades.
Only one small car out of 12 tested earned a good grade in the latest round of crash-test results compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Mini Cooper Countryman received a "good" ranking on the organization's small-front overlap test.

Will Mazda sell diesel hybrids in Japan in 2016?

Could the "Zoom Zoom" automaker start making hybrids that go "glug glug glug"? Mazda, known for its fuel-efficient Skyactiv engine line, will be the first Japanese automaker to make a diesel-hybrid vehicle for Japan and Europe. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, Mazda may start making its oil-burning hybrids as soon as 2016, and the powertrain may reach fuel efficiency levels of as much as 95 miles per gallon (one the more lenient Japanese driving cycle). That'd make such a vehicle line about 30 percent more fuel-efficient than standard diesels and about eight percent more fuel efficient that the Toyota Prius C compact hybrid (known as the Aqua in Japan). Mazda has been dismissive of hybrid and electric powertrains, instead focusing on Skyactiv technology to maximize fuel efficiency from conventional gas-powered engines. Diesel powertrains account for about half of the light-duty vehicles sold in Europe each year, while Japan's diesel sales of 76,000 vehicles last year were about three times as many as were sold there in 2012. In January, Mazda said that it would delay the introduction of its Skyactiv-D diesel engine from what was to be a spring 2014 debut. The reason was to fine-tune the engine's performance/fuel economy balance. Mazda representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from AutoblogGreen about the diesel hybrids.