Black Convertible Mazda Miata on 2040-cars

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Ford expands 'Do Not Drive' airbag warning to 33,000 more Ranger trucks

WASHINGTON — Ford on Monday warned an additional 33,000 owners of older pickup trucks in North America to stop driving them until potentially defective Takata Corp airbag inflators can be repaired. In January, Ford told 2,900 owners of model year 2006 Ford Ranger trucks to stop driving immediately after a second death was linked to inflators built on the same day. The expanded warning was prompted by additional testing, Ford, the second largest U.S. automaker, said in a statement, and now covers a broader time frame of production. Mazda Motor Corp said it was issuing a similar expansion for about 1,800 2006 Mazda B-Series trucks that were built by Ford after it had issued a warning for 160 trucks in January. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the vehicles pose "an immediate risk to safety" and urged owners to immediately schedule a free repair. Ford and Mazda have replacement airbag inflators available now and will tow vehicles to a dealership for repairs as well as provide loaner vehicles free of charge, the companies and NHTSA said. About 90 percent of the vehicles subject to the "Do Not Drive" warning are in the United States. Two U.S. senators in January questioned why Ford's warning only applied to a small number of the 391,000 2004-2006 Ranger trucks recalled because of Takata air bags in 2016 in the United States. Ford said last month the death in a July 2017 crash in West Virginia in a 2006 Ford Ranger was caused by a defective Takata inflator after a similar 2015 death in South Carolina. At least 22 deaths worldwide are linked to the Takata inflators that can rupture and send deadly metal fragments into the driver's body. The faulty inflators have led to the largest automotive recall in history. The other 20 deaths have occurred in Honda vehicles, most of which were in the United States. About a quarter of the 2,900 vehicles have been repaired since Ford issued the warning last month, the company said on Monday. Takata said in June it has recalled, or expected to recall, about 125 million vehicles worldwide by 2019, including more than 60 million in the United States. About 19 automakers worldwide are affected. Takata inflators can explode with excessive force, unleashing metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks and have injured more than 200 people. The defect led Takata to file for bankruptcy protection in June.Reporting by David ShepardsonRelated Video:

Mazda launches 25th Anniversary Miata pre-order site, priced from $32,205

Mazda made a big celebration of the MX-5 Miata at the 2014 New York Auto Show with a bunch of classic models on display. It capped off the model's 25th birthday with the announcement of the 2015 MX-5 Miata 25th Anniversary Edition and showed off the much-anticipated, next-generation version's chassis.
While we are still at least year away from the new Miata hitting the road, the anniversary edition is on its way and is limited to just 100 copies for the United States. The special cars start at $32,205, compared to $23,970 for the 2015 softtop model and $28,665 for the 2015 retractable hardtop version. There is an additional $795 destination charge for all of them.
To make sure everyone gets a chance to own the ceremonial convertible, Mazda has a countdown on its website until 10:25 AM PDT, May 20, 2014. When the day comes, 250 people can to register for the car, and the first 100 to be verified as buyers get the rare Miata. Those with multiple entries will be disqualified.

2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD diesel unveiled in New York

NEW YORK —It seems like we've been waiting forever, but the wait is finally over. Mazda has finally launched a diesel version of the CX-5 for the U.S. market, unveiled at the 2019 New York International Auto Show. Specifically, the 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D turbo-diesel engine will be offered in the higher-end CX-5 Signature AWD, part of what Mazda calls its "path to premium," as the company continues to set its sights on some of the more expensive competition. The Skyactiv-D 2.2 makes use of a sequential twin turbocharger that employs a smaller turbocharger first at low rpm for quick throttle response, after which a valve opens to spool up a larger turbocharger at higher rpm. Mazda says this provides "smooth and linear response from low to high engine speeds, and greatly increases low- and high-end torque." Mazda estimates the output of the engine to be 168 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 290 pound-feet of torque from a low 2,000 rpm. The engine has a rev limit of 5,500 rpm. As of right now, it's only in the all-wheel-drive version and only in the Signature trim level. As such, it gets a ho-hum EPA fuel economy rating of 27 mpg city, 30 highway and 28 combined. We previously saw fuel economy figures for a potential front-drive diesel CX-5 getting just slightly better fuel economy, at 28 city, 31 highway and 29 combined, but no word yet on if and when that'll be made available. The mediocre diesel fuel economy, while expected given the midstream shift from one emissions strategy to another, is particularly disappointing in context. The non-turbo CX-5 AWD, which makes 187 hp and 186 lb-ft, gets 24 city and 30 highway for 26 combined mpg – just 3 mpg less in the city and 2 mpg less overall than the diesel. The much more powerful CX-5 Turbo, which makes 250 hp and 310 lb-ft, gets 22 city, 27 highway, and 24 combined. Mazda is taking pre-orders for the 2019 CX-5 Signature AWD with Skyactiv-D 2.2 starting now, at an MSRP of $42,045, including $1,045 in destination fees. We have to point out that this is a sizable jump in MSRP from a CX-5 Signature AWD with the more powerful turbo engine, which lists for $38,235 – a $3,810 difference in fact. Given the lackluster fuel economy and considerable decrease in power and torque, we're concerned that the diesel may be a tough sell at this sort of premium.