Mazda to Display Mazda CX-5 at Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation will showcase a lineup of 10 vehicles at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 with NAPAC. Mazda will be featuring its new crossover SUV Mazda CX-5, which is scheduled to be launched into the Japanese market in the 2012 spring. The 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon will be held at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba prefecture from January 13 to 15, 2012. Mazda CX-5 (reference exhibit) At this year's Tokyo Auto Salon, Mazda will display two units of Mazda CX-5 compact crossover SUVs. The Mazda CX-5 is scheduled to be introduced in Japan next spring and adopts the full range of Mazda's breakthrough SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY to improve the vehicle's environmental and driving performance. In addition, customized models based on special editions of Mazda Demio, Mazda Axela, Mazda Premacy and Mazda Roadster will be showcased in line with Mazda's theme, 'Environmental Technology, Pushing the Boundaries of the Emotion of Motion.'

Mazda will also present its SKYACTIV engines and transmission and hold a talk show at the Mazda stand featuring engineers who were involved in the SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY development. At the event space outside the venue, a demonstration run by the rotary-engine powered Mazda 787B racing machine is also scheduled. Mazda's exhibits/technologies at Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 Mazda Demio 13-SKYACTIV Smart Stylish 2012 Mazda Axela Sport 20S-SKYACTIV 2012 Mazda Premacy 20S Prestige Style-2012 Mazda Roadster BLACK TUNED-2012 Mazda RX-8 SPIRIT R-2012 Mazda Roadster NR-A "Jimba Ittai" Mazda's Exhibits at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 The Mazda CX-5 is the first of Mazda's new-generation products to adopt Mazda's new KODO - Soul of Motion - design theme and breakthrough SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY, encompassing the powertrain, body and chassis. Its dynamic design, predictable and refined driving experience and outstanding environmental and safety performance signal a clear departure from existing SUVs.

The CX-5 is scheduled to be introduced to the Japanese market in spring 2012. 2. Mazda CX-5 - customized Based on the standard model grade of the new Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV, this special edition combines a red exterior body color with alloy wheels painted in matte-black (incorporating the same design as the base model) and slightly lower body height. 3. Mazda Demio 13-SKYACTIV Smart Stylish-2012 Based on the Special Edition Mazda Demio 13-SKYACTIV Smart Stylish, this model's low center of gravity is expressed through M'z Custom aeroparts including front underspoiler, side skirts, and rear underskirt. 4. Mazda Demio 13-SKYACTIV-2012 The Mazda Demio with the 1.3-liter SKYACTIV gasoline engine has been customized with chrome garnished parts to heighten the impact of the red exterior. The interior features beige synthetic suede seat covers (by DAMD), and door trims, A-pillars, roof and sections of the steering wheel are wrapped in the same beige suede. The high gloss center panel and door panels (both by DAMD) in the same color work to enhance the cabin's sophisticated atmosphere with soft-toned colors.

5. Mazda Axela Sport 20S-SKYACTIV-2012 Based on the facelifted Mazda Axela equipped with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY (2.0-liter gasoline engine version), this Axela comes with a range of aeroparts including front air dam skirt, rear bumper, and rear roof spoiler for the exterior. The Academy Is T Shirt Hot TopicBlack is the base color for the genuine leather seat upholstery, door trim and center console. Antique Bronze 4 Inch Bathroom FaucetThe entire surface of the center panel is finished in piano black and the same finish is applied to the meter hoods and door switch panel.Does Laminate Flooring Stain 6. Mazda Premacy 20S Prestige Style-2012 This model features exclusively designed front bumper and head lights, a new signature wing, a motif of Mazda's new design theme 'KODO - Soul of Motion -,' 19-inch alloy wheels (by weds), KENSTYLE rear under skirt, as well as a chrome rear reflector garnish and muffler cutter.

Based on Mazda Premacy 20S Prestige Style, quality and sportiness has been enhanced in this customized model. 7. Mazda Biante GRANZ-2012 The base model of this customized version was exhibited as a reference model at the Tokyo Motor Show this year to exhibit the model's superior strength and quality. This dress-up model features KENSTYLE aeroparts, WORK 19-inch alloy wheels, GRACE seat upholstery and a black wood-patterned interior panel. 8. Mazda Roadster BLACK TUNED-2012 Based on the Mazda Roadster BLACK TUNED, which adopted black-based special features for both interior and exterior, this tuned model offers a full range of exclusive spec including BBS lightweight alloy wheels, Bilstein height adjustable dampers, brembo brake system (painted in gold for the front) and RECARO seats. 9. Mazda RX-8 SPIRIT R-2012 This model is an expression of our further pursuit of superlative driving performance, a further evolution of the limited edition Mazda RX-8 SPIRIT R with 6-speed manual transmission.

In addition to the base model's unique sporty design and dynamic performance, the model features BBS 20-inch alloy wheels, brembo brakes and rotors, and vehicle height lowered by 20mm. 10. Mazda Roadster NR-A 'Jimba-Ittai' (rider and horse as one) This racing-spec version of the lightweight, two-seat, open-top sports car, Mazda's Roadster - aka. Mazda MX-5 - features exterior coloring used exclusively by the Mazda team that participates in the annual four-hour endurance race for the media. This NR-A spec was the standard spec for this year's race, and includes ENKEI 16-inch alloy wheels, Blidgestone 16-inch tires, Bilstein dampers for the 20-milimeter lower vehicle height, Endless brake pads, TAKATA four-point seatbelts, etc.Mazda has fallen from Ford’s financial nest — the Detroit giant having sold the stake that once gave it control — and must now feed itself.The small scale of the fierce-yet-fragile Japanese independent, struggling to hang onto roughly 2 percent of the American market, will be a never-ending challenge as it tries to compete with global empires like Toyota, General Motors, Volkswagen and Ford itself.

The redesigned 2014 Mazda 6 seems to show evidence of that strain, but also the upside of the company’s emotional, uncompromising approach to engineering.Automakers like Toyota and Hyundai don’t care to be reminded, but Mazdas almost always handle and perform better than more pedestrian rivals. Yet typical mass-market buyers don’t put much stock in performance, choosing Toyota Camrys and other dull-but-reliable cars by wide margins over Mazda’s medal-winning counterparts.Perhaps counterintuitively, Mazda’s worst failures have come when it has tried to out-Toyota Toyota, forsaking sporty principles and settling for the middle ground. The Mazda 6 has been a great example. The first-generation sedan of 2003 was lauded as a midsize benchmark, and by Mazda standards, it posted excellent sales. One notable criticism was that the back seat was a bit tight.So Mazda gave in to mass-market temptation for the redesign of the 2009 model. It pumped up the 6 to the size of a Honda Accord, with handling that seemed as unrecognizable as the car itself.

Sales plunged and have never recovered. Now Mazda regroups with a mildly scaled-down 6 for 2014. The car is a looker again, a shapely adaptation of the Takeri concept car that made the rounds of international auto shows.Production has moved to Japan as Mazda wrapped up a quarter-century of building cars alongside Fords in Flat Rock, Mich.And Mazda’s personality shines clearly, with an all-new chassis, transmissions and engines, including an advanced 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D diesel that will go on sale later this year. That will make Mazda, long associated with rotary engines, the first Japanese brand to offer a modern clean-diesel passenger car in America. Mazda has been coy on mileage, but the diesel version should breeze past 40 miles a gallon on the highway.Keeping its priorities straight, Mazda has lavished resources on the mechanicals. The new 6 delivers that familiar Mazda connectedness, but with a pronounced improvement in fuel economy, historically a sore spot for this brand.

The gasoline version, with a 2.5-liter direct-injection 4-cylinder, has a thrifty economy rating of 26 m.p.g. in town and 38 on the highway, with its redesigned 6-speed automatic transmission. That’s up from a mere 21/30 m.p.g. for the departing model.The new engine, designed to run on regular gas, also has 184 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque, up from 170 and 167 in the obsolete 2.5 liter of last year.Like many of its rivals, the 6 no longer offers a V-6 option.Tech tricks abound, though, including extremely high compression that improves efficiency. The automatic transmission incorporates both a conventional torque converter for silky low-speed operation and a single automated clutch for decisive gear changes — which can be made with paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. Naturally, Mazda has kept the stick-shift faith, offering its fine new 6-speed manual on all but the top-level Grand Touring.The 6 is the first car in America to capture energy in a fast-charging capacitor with no rare-earth metals, rather than a slower, bulkier and harder-to-recycle battery.

Lift off the gas, and the optional i-Eloop system spins the alternator to charge the capacitor in eight seconds flat. The stored juice — roughly 2,000 watts — then powers the electric system and accessories. E.V. and laptop users, take note: unlike lithium-ion batteries, Mazda’s capacitor is designed to charge and discharge millions of times with no loss of storage capacity.Yet for all of its prowess, Mazda’s relatively small financial basket suggests that there are only so many eggs to go around. For the cabin, Mazda needs to break a few more eggs.Don’t get me wrong: the 6 puts its driver in perfect alignment with the steering wheel and controls. The seats and forward visibility are excellent. The trunk officially measures a modest 14.8 cubic feet, but it feels cavernous in daily use. An 18.5-gallon fuel tank lets the Mazda cover 600 highway miles between fill-ups.The Mazda also keeps up with the gadget-obsessed Joneses. Owners can choose a smooth-running adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, forward collision alert system, blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic detection and headlamps that automatically switch between low and high beams.

But compared with, say, the lavish Honda Accord or Hyundai Sonata, the 6 feels as if it’s playing catch-up inside. That begins with the amateurish TomTom navigation system and its scrawny, inscrutable 5.8-inch screen. The optional system is mediocre enough if you’ve programmed a destination; when you haven’t, it’s the bane of lost travelers, often failing to label streets, cities and even freeways.Worse, the design pizazz of the exterior is missing inside. I’m all for minimal cabins, but the Mazda seems as featureless as the nighttime prairie, and some wobbly-feeling switches don’t help. In comparison, a Chevy Malibu is a paragon of texture and daring.The rotary console controller halfheartedly mimics those in a dozen other cars. And who, among Mazda’s red-blooded engineers and executives, signed off on those wimpy gauges? With a generic font and pale white lighting, the display is perfect for a Chinese minivan, but not suited for this driver’s car. Fortunately, beyond the cabin lies the most dynamic, assertive driver’s car in the midsize realm.

The chassis is far stiffer, and 58 percent of the body is high-tensile steel, holding the base model’s weight to barely 3,100 pounds.Electrically assisted steering, fast becoming a universal fuel saver, has damped the response of even six-figure cars. But Mazda’s system feels attuned to every road nuance, with a steering ratio that’s nearly as fast as the Miata convertible’s. The front wheels’ caster angle is more acute than in any front-drive rival, more even than the Mazda’s late, fondly remembered RX-8 sports car, another contributor to the 6’s right-now reactions.Flirting with two-lane roads in upstate New York, the Mazda caressed every curve, showing excellent grip — almost too much, considering its modest power — from optional 19-inch wheels and tires. Pushed hard, the back end eventually bobbles. But it takes serious pushing to remind you that the 6 is intended for families, not just drivers.The 2.5-liter engine, while adequate by class standards, elicits less excitement.