mazda

When you think subcompact, you're probably thinking giving up horsepower, cargo space, tech options, and safety. But this isn't so for the 2012 Hyundai Accent.

The new Accent comes in a smart four-door GLS spec and a sporty five-door hatch, in GS and SE trims. With a direct-injection 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, the Accent offers 138 horsepower at 6,300rpm and 123 pound-feet of torque at 4,850rpm.

The Accent four-door is slightly larger than its predecessor (3.5 inches longer and a wheelbase that's 2.8 inches longer). It also bests the Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta, … Read more

TOKYO--It has been a tough run for U.S.-Japan joint automaking ventures in North America.

They once were hailed as learning labs where ailing Detroit manufacturers could assimilate the wisdom of the East. But in recent years they have crumbled under financial stress and shifting alliances.

In 2009, General Motors walked out on its 25-year-old joint venture with Toyota, New United Motor Manufacturing, in Fremont, Calif. Later that year, Suzuki bailed on its CAMI joint plant with GM in Canada.

Now Mazda Motor seems poised to pull out of its longtime manufacturing partnership with Ford.

At issue is the … Read more

After weeks of rumors and speculations that Mazda was planning to pull auto production from Michigan to a location outside of the U.S., the Japanese automaker on Monday confirmed it was true.

The production of the Mazda6 sedan at the AutoAlliance International plant in Flat Rock, Mich.--a joint venture with Ford--will be transferred to Mazda's plant in Hofu, Japan. U.S. production will end with the current product cycle. Mazda makes the same size sedan in Japan, but it is known there as the Atenza.

Mazda is pulling out of North America because it can't make … Read more

Speculation is running high in Japan that two models built in the United States, Subaru's Tribeca SUV and Mazda's Mazda6, will be axed so the companies can use U.S. capacity better--or, in Mazda's case, perhaps move south to Mexico.

The Nikkan Kogyo business daily said Subaru will stop R&D on the next-generation Tribeca, a low-selling model that's taking up valuable space at its Lafayette, Ind., plant. Subaru sold just 910 Tribecas through April, and it's hungry for more capacity to build the popular Outback and Legacy.

Nikkan Kogyo says Mazda plans to … Read more

SHANGHAI--Mazda design has gone through a lot of churn and burn in search of a look in recent years, but global design chief Ikuo Maeda pledges continuity under his watch.

Maeda, 51, says the Kodo design language, which will debut in the CX-5 crossover, will filter through the lineup in the coming years. Kodo is Japanese for "soul of motion."

Key elements include a toned-down grille with a stylized Mazda flying wing contour extending under the grille and over the headlamps. Maeda calls that styling cue the signature wing; it is meant to echo the wavy M in … Read more

At the 2011 New York auto show, Mazda unveiled the revised and slightly reshaped Mazda3. You'd have to do a double take to spot any of the subtle cosmetic differences between the new 2012 model and the outgoing 2011, but pop the hood and you you'll find yourself staring at an entirely new drive train. Actually, you'll find yourself staring at a bright blue cosmetic engine cover, but beneath that is an all new drive train that uses Mazda's SkyActiv efficiency technologies.

Starting with the power plant, the 2.0-liter SkyActiv-G engine uses gasoline direct injection … Read more

Welcome to CNET Roadside Assistance, the show were the Car Tech guys take some time to respond to your queries and highlight your comments. This week, Nissan and Mazda's performance cars go head-to-head, a BMW driver wants help steering clear of iDrive, and LOL cars are back.

There are cars that were born for the track and those that have absolutely no business there. The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is one of the latter. But when given the opportunity to lap Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in GM's newest electrified vehicle, we jumped at the opportunity.

Imagine, for a moment, pushing your favorite dull midsize sedan (say a Toyota Camry or Chevy Malibu) at 8/10ths around your favorite back road with all of the understeer, body roll, and middling power-to-weight ratio. It's unoffensive, but few would call the experience "fun." This is the starting … Read more

In the market for a used car? Here's some good news. Consumer Reports today released its list of used cars that rate as more reliable than their brand-new counterparts.

The Consumer Reports' Annual Auto issue lists 11 2008 models with about the same or even fewer problems than comparable 2010 models. That list includes the 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser and Yaris with a reported 11 and 12 problems per 100 vehicles, respectively. Although Consumer Reports reveals the average 2010 car had 13 problems per 100. Consumer Reports did not rate the FJ Cruiser and Yaris with high in road … Read more