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Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrating Mazda this year [w/video]

Mazda gets to wear the crown and sash as the doubly honored marque for the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year. The Japanese brand will be the focus of the Central Feature, the sculpture that sits outside Goodwood House, and its race cars will be the focus on the lawn, where there will be at least one representative from "every era of Mazda's motor sport achievement." The theme for this year's event is "Flat-out and fearless: racing on the edge." The showcase, of course, will be the 700-horsepower, rotary-engined 787B that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991. It will run up the 1.6-mile Hillclimb while a Mazda challenger from the World Rally Championship runs the Forest Rally Stage, joining Andros Trophy ice racing and sportscar racing Mazdas. The festival happens from June 25-28 this year, and there's a press release with more details down below the video recap from 2014 and Mazda 787B Le Mans lap. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Le Mans-winning 787B to headline fantastic Mazda line-up at FoS 2015 Feb 18, 2015 -- Mazda is the only Japanese manufacturer to have won the world's most prestigious motor race – the Le Mans 24 Hours – and the victorious rotary-engined 787B, with its distinctive sound, is certain to be a crowd favourite as it winds its way up Goodwood's iconic 1.16-mile Hillclimb at the Festival of Speed this year. The 787B is part of a fabulous collection of racing and road machines that will be brought to the Festival by Mazda, in the year in which the company is also being honoured by the iconic Central Feature outside Goodwood House. Further motor sport success has been achieved in touring cars, the World Rally Championship, Andros Trophy ice racing and sportscar competition in the USA – in which Mazda's pioneering SKYACTIV-D turbodiesel technology is breaking new ground currently. In fact, every era of Mazda's motor sport achievement will be marked by some incredible competition cars both on the Hillclimb and the Forest Rally Stage as we celebrate the FoS theme 'Flat-out and fearless; racing on the edge'. The Moving Motor Show on June 25, will also showcase many of the key models from Mazda's current range.

Trump declaration they're a security threat stuns Japanese automakers

TOKYO — Japan's automakers' lobby said on Tuesday it was dismayed by President Donald Trump's declaration that some imported vehicles and parts posed a threat to U.S. national security, as the industry braces for a possible rise in U.S. tariffs. Trump made the unprecedented designation of foreign vehicles on Friday but delayed for up to six months a decision on whether to impose tariffs to allow for more time for trade talks with Japan and the European Union. "We are dismayed to hear a message suggesting that our long-time contributions of investment and employment in the United States are not welcomed," said Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. "As chairman, I am deeply saddened by this decision," Toyoda, president of Toyota, said in a statement. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on imported cars made by foreign automakers, a move which automakers have argued would ramp up car prices, curb the global competitiveness of U.S.-made vehicles and limit investment in the country, the world's No. 2 auto market. The United States is a vital market for Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese car makers. Autos and components are among the Asian country's biggest export products. Most of Japan's major automakers operate plants in the United States. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association notes that its automakers build about 4 million vehicles a year in North America, or 75 percent of what it sells here. Many are built for export, helping lessen the U.S. trade deficit Trump is concerned about. Major automakers have announced a slew of investments in the United States since Trump took office in January 2017 and put pressure on the industry to create more U.S. jobs. For its part, Toyota has pledged to invest almost $13 billion in the United States between 2017 and 2021 to boost manufacturing capacity and jobs. This includes $1.6 billion for a vehicle assembly plant in Alabama jointly run with Mazda. Government/Legal Honda Mazda Mitsubishi Nissan Toyota Trump

Weekly Recap: GM plans massive new paint shop at Chevy Corvette factory

General Motors is laying out some serious green to maintain the Chevy Corvette's expansive color palette. The automaker is breaking ground on a new paint shop this summer that's part of a $439-million investment to upgrade the 34-year-old Bowling Green, KY, factory that builds the Stingray. The massive new structure will total 450,000 square feet, nearly half the size of the current 1-million square-foot facility. Construction is expected to take two years and won't impact Corvette production. The upgrades include new robots that save paint and create a better finish, longer, more efficient ovens to bake in the finish, and LED lighting. There's also a dry scrubbing booth technology with a limestone handling system that eliminates waste. GM has invested $135 million in the factory in last four years for the changeover to build the C7 and to relocate its Performance Build Center to Bowling Green. The improvements continue to modernize the Kentucky factory, which has become a tourist attraction in its own right, as more than 56,000 enthusiasts visited it last year. The upgrades are part of a $5.4-billion investment GM confirmed in April that will remake its US footprint in the next three years. The Bowling Green expansion underscores GM's continued commitment to the Corvette, which sold nearly 38,000 copies around the world last year, an eight-year high. "With this major technology investment, we can continue to exceed the expectations of sports car buyers for years to come," North American manufacturing manager Arvin Jones said in a statement. OTHER NEWS & NOTES Takata recall hits 34 million vehicles The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expanded the Takata airbag recall to an almost unthinkable 34 million vehicles on Tuesday. The recall is part of an agreement reached by the two sides where Takata admitted some of its airbag inflators have a defect, and the deal compels the company to comply with all future regulatory actions and investigations. Takata's airbag inflators were produced with "a propellant that can degrade over time" and lead to ruptures, NHTSA said. Six deaths have been attributed to the flaw worldwide. Investigations conducted by Takata, automakers, and others have not determined the exact cause of the inflator problem, but NHTSA said moisture appears to alter the propellant's chemical structure. It then ignites too rapidly, creates too much pressure that ruptures the inflator, and blasts shards of metal at passengers.