1993 Mazda Rx-7 Turbo on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo reshapes a winning form [w/video]

In the history of endurance racing, there's only ever been one Japanese automaker to win the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, and as you might have guessed, that was Mazda in 1991 with the 787B – which was, incidentally, the only one ever to win the race under rotary power, or really anything other than a conventional piston engine. That racing success is something Mazda can be proud about, even over two decades later, and it's a badge of honor the automaker is revisiting with the LM55 prototype you see here. Only instead of unleashing it on the Circuit de la Sarthe – or really any actual race track – the Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo is bound only for PlayStation. The latest addition to the Vision Gran Turismo lineup, the LM55 takes inspiration from the aforementioned 787B but gives it a modern KODO design theme. The result is pretty stunning, taking a more radical approach than the Skyactiv Prototype the company is fielding in the United SportsCar Championship or even the dearly departed, head-turning Furai concept. But unlike that diesel prototype and the Wankel-powered 787B, Mazda hasn't specified any kind of novel powertrain for the LM55, fictitious or otherwise - saying only that it has "advanced drive train technology that offers the epitome of power, efficiency and durability and the result is an exceptional power to weight ratio exceeding that of most cars in its class." Just what that class would be we'll likely never find out, but if you don't have a PS3 loaded with GT6 (or, for that matter, even if you do), you can scope out the virtual action in the slideshow above and the rather Christmas-y video below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo View 23 Photos News Source: Polyphony Digital Toys/Games Mazda Concept Cars Racing Vehicles Videos Gran Turismo gt6 vision gran turismo

Mazda CEO predicts record US sales in next 2 years

The recently appointed CEO of Mazda is apparently quite the optimist, claiming that the Japanese brand, renowned for its Zoom-Zoom driving character (and more recently its sleek, refined designs and Skyactiv efficiency), is claiming the company will record its best-ever US sales within the next two years. According to a report from Automotive News, Masamichi Kogai expects Mazda to move 400,000 of its Kodo-styled vehicles in the increasingly competitive US market by March 2016, with the recently launched Mazda3 leading the charge. "It will impacted considerably by the trend of the U.S. industry. But... it's my hope we achieve the record by that time," Kogai tells AN.
The brand is currently targeting 300,000 units by the end of this fiscal year in March 2014. Given that production and sales of the Mazda3 (and consumer awareness of the 2014 Mazda6) is still picking up steam, it isn't a stretch to imagine Mazda, which sold 240,000 vehicles from January to October of 2013, hitting its target.
Along with the overall increase in sales numbers, Kogai is expecting the independent brand to take an even larger slice of the US sales pie, claiming 2.5 percent US market share, improving from its current 1.9-percent foothold so far in 2013. "I think the upper limit may be 2.5 percent for the time being," Kogai told AN, before pointing out, "We don't want to use a lot of incentives. That is not the sales approach we aspire toward."

2013 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year finalists announced [w/poll]

2012 is almost in the books and automakers are spending December gearing up for the 2013 auto show season, which tips off next month at the Detroit Auto Show. Traditionally, the latter opens up with the announcement of the North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards, and this year figures to be no different.
But up until this moment, we didn't know which six vehicles would be parked ahead of the stage as finalists, with executives and engineers waiting for the winners to be disclosed. Whittled down from October's "short list" of nominees (11 cars and 10 truck/utility vehicles), the finalists are as follows:
2013 North American Car of the Year: