PHOTO: AutoWeek,com

you’re not going to find a better chassis setup in the B-segment than this Mazda 2. The Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris, the Nissan Versa, the Kia Rio, the Chevrolet Aveo and the Ford Fiesta got nothing on the Mazda.

But Jon, doesn’t the Fiesta have the same basic platform architecture as the Mazda, you ask? Yes, but according to Mazda, the two cars only share the basic platform, wheel bearings, front upper-strut mounts and front antiroll-bar end links. Everything else is different.

What I like the most about the 2 is that it drives, well, like a Mazda. Steering is direct, responsive and weighty while the suspension tuning gives the car quick reflexes and sufficient damping qualities. The brakes are strong with lots of modulation available from the pedal.

Read the full review, via AW Drivers Log.

IMAGE: Mazda.ca

Three of Mazda‘s top models will strut their zoom-zoom on the Paris catwalk with total makeovers – their overall theme one of reduced fuel consumption and lowered emissions.

Mazda2‘s new facelift will be unveiled for the first time at the show. Notable changes include a redesigned front end that reflects the Mazda family face, chassis retuning to provide a more comfortable ride, a new automatic transmission, interior upgrades and a new Euro V compliant powertrain lineup.

The new Mazda5 shows off a new, fuel-frugal MZ-CD 1.6 litre diesel engine with a 15% reduction in C02 emissions, a new 6-speed, lightweight transmission, a fresh new design, rear sliding doors and a “Karakuri” interior with 7-passenger seating capacity.

New and improved, the Mazda3 also gains the 1.6 litre diesel engine which boasts lower fuel consumption and emissions while delivering more power and torque. Shifting gears is a new lightweight 6-speed transmission.

Read the full article, via Auto123.

PHOTO: truebluetitan, via flickr.com under a Creative Commons license

Unique among mainstream Canadian models, the RX-8 uses a 1.3-litre rotary engine, also known as a Wankel engine. There are two trim levels, the R3 and GT, both of which come with a six-speed manual transmission, where the engine produces 232 horsepower. The GT can also be optioned with a no-charge six-speed automatic, with a resulting drop to 212 horsepower. Torque remains the same at 159 lb-ft with either transmission.

The RX-8 looks like a coupe, but small, rear-hinged doors provide access to the two-passenger rear seat.

Read the full review, via CanadianDriver.

For 2011, the Mazda3 undergoes numerous trim changes. Electronic stability control and traction control are added as standard equipment to the GX and GS trim, so that all models now include these features.

Read the full guide, via CanadianDriver.

The Score: Cleverly conceived, well put together and priced right, the Mazda2 is very economical and a fun little car to drive.

Read the review, via Driving.ca -First drive: 2011 Mazda2 Yazora.

Mazda has announced it will launch the all-new Mazda BT-50 at the upcoming international motor show in Sydney. Mazda calls it an ‘active lifestyle vehicle’ and it’s the new approach Mazda is taking on the conventional ute design.

Read the full article, via Car Advice.

PHOTO: CarAdvice.com.au

A combination of high consumer incentives, relatively low oil prices and pent-up demand have conspired to artificially boost truck sales, a trend that is problematic and unsustainable, said David Mondragon, chief executive of Ford of Canada.

Read the full article, via the Calgary Herald.

When Mazda’s very first passenger car, the diminutive R360, rolled off the assembly line in 1960, the timing was perfect with the economies of Japan and Germany re-awakening like sleeping giants. Mazda’s passenger car business would remain small for a couple more years, however, while it continued to make light commercial vehicles needed for the building-boom.

This was not a disadvantage, as it gave Mazda the time it needed to design well thought-out cars that offered more than people expected. Several of these vehicles even changed the motor industry.

Read the full article, via Thai Auto Maxx.

The thing for everyone to remember, especially at this time of year, is that tire and wheel combinationsare all part of an integrated package that will affect things like:

• Traction Control
  

  PHOTO: Gone-Walkabout, via flickr.com under a Creative Commons license

• Fuel Economy
• Handling
• Speedometer accuracy
• Transmission shift quality
• Vehicle Stability Control
• Anti-lock Braking

Read the column, via The Globe and Mail.

Mazda rolled out a surprise this week in Milan: a concept car that its design chief says outlines the company’s future design language.The car is called Shinari and represents the first statement by the company’s design chief, Ikuo Maeda, who took over after Laurens van den Acker departed for the top design job at Renault in April 2009.

PHOTO: New York Times, Wheels Blog

Mr. Maeda, who has been with the company for 30 years, designed the current RX-8 and the Mazda2. His father, Matasaburo Maeda, was a Mazda designer and directed the design of the first generation RX-7 sports car.

Mr. Maeda said that the concept car summarizes a new design language and philosophy for the company. The name Shinari means “resistance to being bent,” a quality that is suggested by some of the car’s tough-looking, twisted forms, as in its wheels.

Read the full article, via NYTimes.com.