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Goodbye Zoom-Zoom, Driving Matters is Mazda's new slogan [w/video]

Timed with the launch of the 2016 MX-5 Miata, Mazda is now changing gears with its advertising strategy in the US by launching a whole new slogan. The Japanese brand's latest marketing motto takes a much more direct approach than Zoom-Zoom by simply saying Driving Matters. The two-word phrase is meant to make customers believe that a good time behind the wheel can improve their lives. Driving Matters is also supposed to say something about how Mazda engineers vehicles. "Whether it's for safety purposes or for maintaining our 'fun to drive' nature, it all comes down to the fact that driving matters to our customers and it matters to us." Russell Wager, vice president of marketing at Mazda North American Operations, said in the announcement of the new campaign. However, Zoom-Zoom isn't entirely dead, and the words still appear in small print in some of these spots. According to Wager in an interview with Automotive News, the old slogan isn't necessarily understandable to some focus groups. "I'll ask them to explain to me what 'Zoom Zoom' means, and I'll get 6 or 7 different answers. That's what Driving Matters is supposed to address. It's supposed to solidify what 'Zoom Zoom' means to people," he said. So far, the company has released several examples of the campaign to highlight the Miata and Mazda6. At the same time, Mazda is launching a new commercial (embedded below) called A Driver's Life that showcases many of its models but puts a big emphasis on the MX-5. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Mazda Launches All-New Advertising Campaign, "Driving Matters" - New Campaign Communicates How the Joy of Driving Can Enhance Your Life - IRVINE, Calif. (May 21, 2015) –The Oxford Dictionary defines "driving" as, "operating and controlling the direction and speed of a motor vehicle." Mazda believes that driving is more than a definition. Driving is an experience that can enhance your life. To better illustrate how every Mazda vehicle embodies why "Driving Matters," today Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is rolling out a new advertising campaign. Driving Matters is an evolution of the Game Changers campaign. With Game Changers, Mazda succeeded in increasing consumer awareness of the functional attributes of our vehicles. Driving Matters will extend the message by creating an emotional connection to the brand.

Fiat 124 caught entirely undisguised

Dear automakers, please continue making these kind of mistakes. Thanks to what we're guessing is some lax security, the all-new, Mazda MX-5 Miata-based Fiat 124 was spotted taking part in a photo shoot near Santa Barbara, CA. The images show what we'd consider a fairly simple rebadging job. The 124 gets new front and rear clips that not only harken back to the original 124 (not to mention other Fiat roadsters, like the Barchetta), but also serves to distance this droptop from the rest of the company's US range. The similarities between the 124 and the car it's based on are even more obvious in the cabin. This is an MX-5 interior with Fiat's big, red badge on the tiller. That means the same quality materials and knob-dial infotainment system that have been so well received in the Miata. It's under the hood, though, where the Fiat really differs from its Japanese cousin. According to our spy, the vehicle shown here features some kind of two-pedal setup – probably the six-speed Euro twin-clutch used in the 500L and Dodge Dart. Don't worry, though, a six-speed stick will also be on offer. Regardless of transmission, we can expect a 180-horsepower version of the 1.4-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder offered in the 500 Abarth. And if that's not enough good news, a dedicated Abarth model will likely arrive after launch, which our spies claim will use the 1.75-liter turbo and DCT from the Alfa Romeo 4C. While this represents a good look at the new 124, we'll probably be waiting until the LA Auto Show in November for the official look. Stay tuned.

Modded budget Mazda Miata takes on new Porsche Boxster in more challenges

Earlier this month, our friends across the pond at Auto Express released the first in a two-video series that would see them try and build up a second-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata that could best a standard Porsche Boxster around the track. While that first video detailed the mods to the MX-5 - a supercharger, some suspension upgrades and a new set of super-sticky rubber being chief among them - and set baseline lap times for the stock car, today, we have the results of the 5,000-pound ($8,200) upgrade job.
Of course, we aren't going to spoil those for you. You'll need to watch the full video, which recaps the upgrades before digging into a comparison of both straight-line-speed differences between the 2.7-liter Porsche Boxster and blown Miata, as well as their behavior and lap times on the track.
Take a look and let us know what you think in Comments.