Report: Subaru Tribeca, Mazda6 Living On Borrowed Time

If Japan’s Nikkan Kogyo newspaper is correct, both the Subaru Tribeca crossover and the Mazda6 sedan may be put to rest in the very near future. Subaru has stopped working on development of a next-generation Tribeca, primarily since the current version has sold just 910 units year to date. The Tribeca is chewing up production capacity at Subaru’s Indiana plant, which could be used to produce more high-demand Legacy and Outback models. Even a design change from the original (and controversial) styling hasn’t been enough to boost Tribeca sales, since consumers have a hard time figuring out exactly where the crossover excels against its competition. Read more…

Mazda Tribute To Be Replaced By CX-5

Remember the Minagi concept crossover that Mazda showed us at this year’s Geneva Auto Show? The one that drew rave reviews from journalists and the general public? Mazda has confirmed that the replacement for their aging Tribute SUV will indeed be based on the Minagi concept, and in keeping with current naming conventions it will be called the CX-5. The Kodo-design-themed crossover will make its North American debut at this week’s New York Auto Show, while the first showing of the near-production CX-5 is scheduled for September’s Frankfurt Auto Show. Read more…

Mazda, Honda Suspend Dealer Orders

The economic effects of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami will begin to hit U.S. auto dealerships in April and May. Last week, both Mazda and Honda temporarily suspended U.S. dealership orders for all vehicles built in Japan. For Mazda, this includes the Mazda 2, Mazda 3, Mazda 5, MX-5, RX-8, CX-7 and CX-9; for Honda, the vehicles impacted include the Fit, CR-V, Insight, CR-Z, Civic Hybrid, Acura TSX and Acura RL. Nissan will reduce U.S. vehicle allocation for May by 50%, while neither Toyota nor Mitsubishi have announced any changes to dealer ordering procedures. Neither Mazda nor Honda will speculate on when orders will resume, but it’s reasonable to expect inventory shortages of popular models heading into the summer months. Read more…

Is Kia Working On A Mazda MX-5 Rival?

When it comes to manufacturing products, it’s best to not under-estimate the Koreans. As a Hyundai insider once told me, they’re the only people of the planet who can make the Japanese look like slackers. Just look at Hyundai and Kia if you need proof; two decades ago they were the butt of jokes, but today they’re on fire. The Hyundai Elantra is kicking ass and taking names in the compact car segment, and their Sonata is doing the same in the midsize class. Kia’s Optima and Optima Turbo are poised to give Hyundai a run for their money, and it looks like Hyundai is positioning Kia as a younger, more sporting brand. When Kia says they’re looking at building a rival to Mazda’s MX-5, I believe they’ll succeed where others have failed. Read more…

MX-5 GT Racer Is Chock Full Of Win

I’m a huge fan of the MX-5, because it really does represent the best handling car for the money. Sure, it’s not particularly fast in a straight line, but the bonus is that you rarely need to hammer the binders for a corner. The MX-5 forgives a lot of mistakes, but it also teaches you wrong from right in a very controlled manner. I’ve owned two (a ’93 B Package and my current ’06 Sport), which breaks my own cardinal rule of “life’s too short to have the same ride twice”. As good as my ’06 is with suspension and exhaust mods, it’s no match for the MX-5 GT cooked up by Jota Sport. For starters, there’s the issue of weight: my car probably tips the scales at around 2,460 pounds, but Jota’s MX-5 GT weighs in at just 1,873 pounds. Shaving a few hundred pounds off an already light car is difficult, but shaving nearly 600 pounds borders on the impossible. Every area that could be lightened was, thanks to tricks like polycarbonate windows, a carbon fiber dashboard and an acid-dipped body. Kids, don’t try this at home. Read more…

The Mazda 6, Arachnophobia And You

Do you have a fear of spiders, known medically as arachnophobia? Chances are there’s no good reason for it, since very few of the eight legged critters found in the U.S. can do you much harm. Sure, we’ve got the black widow and the brown recluse to worry about, but both pale in comparison to spiders found in Australia. Take the Sydney funnel web, for example, whose fangs can penetrate the leather of a shoe and whose venom is perfectly capable of killing a human (or making him wish he was dead). In the United States, though, there’s no good reason to fear spiders, unless you own a 2009 to 2010 Mazda 6; in that case, a spider really can kill you. Read more…

Mazda Minagi Concept: Can A Crossover Be Sexy?

Mazda is set to debut their Minagi concept at March’s Geneva Auto Show, and that’s significant for two main reasons: it’s the first use of Mazda’s latest Kodo design language, and it’s the first baby SUV under the Mazda brand that isn’t simply a warmed over Ford. It’s significant for reasons beyond this as well, but make no mistake: the Minagi is Mazda’s way of telling the world they’ll be just fine without Ford. Given disappointing sales of the Mazda 2 and all but nonexistant sales of their current compact SUV, the Tribute, Mazda badly needs to generate some excitement over upcoming products, and the compact crossover segment is a great place to start. Read more…

Automotive News Names 2010′s Coolest Concept Cars

Concept cars are a lot like Playboy centerfolds: they’re generally enhanced to focus on beauty over function, you usually can’t gets your hands on one and if you do, chances are it won’t meet your expectations. Like centerfolds, concept cars are meant to be things of ethereal beauty, unattainable to mere mortals. The best we can hope for is a trickle-down effect, where styling elements from concept cars (or centerfolds) make it to production cars (or your girlfriend). Each year, manufacturers highlight the work of their design studios at auto shows around the globe. Most of these concepts will never see production, but will live on the body panels and interiors of cars yet to be built.

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