mazda

Changan Motors, Ford Motor Company and Mazda Motor Company (CFMA) signed contracts with local government officials to build a new engine plant in Chongqing, China.

Construction on the $500 million plant will begin in 2011, and the facility will be in operation by 2013. The new plant will more than double CFMA's existing engine capacity from 350,000 units, to 750,000 engines annually, Ford said in a press release.

"This new engine plant will help power our ambitious expansion plans here in the world's largest automotive market," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president, Asia Pacific … Read more

The much-anticipated 2011 Acadia Denali began production today at the Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant in Lansing, Mich.

The $43,220, crossover SUV sports a Denali chrome honeycomb grille and monochromatic exterior. The new lineup includes two new exterior colors: cyber gray metallic and gray green metallic.

The Acadia will ride on 20-inch two-tone chrome-clad wheels and will feature high-intensity discharge headlamps, chrome interior accents, head-up display, heated and cooled driver and passenger seats, eight-way power driver seat, six standard air bags, and OnStar 9.0.

A preferred package is available on SL models, which includes Bluetooth, body-color moldings, leather-wrapped … Read more

OnStar adding Facebook, other apps; new flagship GPS models from Garmin and TomTom; and the King's Mercedes goes up for auction.

• OnStar to offer Facebook, voice-to-text?

• Hyundai unveils its first EV

• 2011 Bentley Continental GT widens stance, updates tech

• TomTom and Garmin announce flagship GPS models, app stores

• 2003-2006 Honda Accord iPod Installation Tutorial

First it invited the media to have a gander, then it released a series of photos to the public, and now Mazda has released a video of the Shinari concept. With three full weeks until the "official debut" at the Paris Motor Show, it's anyone's guess what Mazda will do next to build excitement for its coupe-styled sedan (my vote is to give one away).

Mazda released more information and a handful of photos of its Shinari weeks before its official unveiling at the 2010 Paris Motor Show is early October. The coupe-styled four-seater shows off Mazda's new design language, Kodo, which translates to "soul of motion." While the automaker is long on the styling description of the exterior, it's short on the details of the interior and power train. However, they revealed that the Shinari is equipped with paddle shifter and features three driving modes--business, pleasure and sport--that change the sports sedan's settings, including entertainment, work tasks, and ride … Read more

New cars to get MPG grades on their EPA window stickers, Infiniti M debuts as company's first hybrid, Mazda3 doesn't need to be a hybrid, and we drive the Infiniti G37 Sport convertible.

• Get a look at the proposed EPA window stickers

• Offer your feedback on the EPA window stickers

• CNET LOLCars are now in a slideshow--watch 'em & shake your head

• Infiniti M35 debuts as the brand's first hybrid

• CNET reviews the 2010 Infiniti G37 convertible… Read more

BERLIN--Mazda says it expects hybrid-like fuel economy from vehicles powered by new Sky direct-injection gasoline and diesel engines scheduled to arrive in the United States starting next year.

The Sky engines and Sky-Drive automatic and manual transmissions are the centerpiece of Mazda's aim to raise the fuel efficiency of its U.S. lineup 30 percent from 2008 to 2015.

For example, the next Mazda3, due in about 2015, would get an estimated 40 mpg on the highway with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder Sky-G engine teamed with a Sky-Drive six-speed automatic, says Kiyoshi Fujiwara, Mazda's head of product planning … Read more

Mazda's top brass wheeled out its Shinari concept at a design event in Milan weeks ahead of its official debut at the Paris Motor Show on October 2, and studio renderings of the concept are circulating around the Web.

Depending on which article you're reading, the Shinari is a four-door car or five-door hatchback that showcases Kodo, Mazda's future design language. Kodo translates as "soul of motion," and is a move away from its former design of Nagare, which translates to "flow."

Source: AutoWeek and MotorTrend

Mazda can be thanked for reviving the two-seater drop-top, making, in 1989, the bold decision to produce the Miata. From its inception, this car was supposed to revive the classic British roadster, and it has been a great success story for Mazda. The latest version of the Miata has a 2-liter engine and a retractable hard top, this latter piece giving it a bit of clever practicality.

We love the driving experience we had with this car; its tight steering making for precise turns, and the six-speed shifter pops neatly into each gear. But we are not so crazy about … Read more