New Mazda MX-5 Ltd Edition Niseko

 

SPECIAL 'MAZDA MX-5 NISEKO' BRIGHTENS WINTER GLOOM

 

The latest Mazda MX-5 can truly be described as an all-weather, all-year sports car with its enhanced heating and air-conditioning systems.  Now, to celebrate its continuing status as 'Britain's favourite sports car brand' this winter, Mazda is introducing a pair of special edition 'Niseko' models, named after Japan's most prestigious skiing resort.

 

As the latest edition of the world's best selling roadster, the rear-wheel drive Mazda MX-5 Niseko boasts unrivalled handling and driving dynamics, and represents extremely competitive value for money.  Available from £17,995 on-the-road, the Niseko offers up to £2,000 worth of additional or exclusive extras over and above the equivalent standard models.

 

On sale from 1 January 2008, both the 'entry-level' 1.8i Niseko soft-top (126ps, five-speed) and the £19,995 2.0i Niseko roadster coupe (160ps, six‑speed) are available in an exclusive new bespoke colour 'Icy Blue' metallic, as well as Sunlight Silver metallic – for no additional charge.

 

"Mazda MX-5 customers have traditionally given a warm welcome to each new 'special edition' model introduced during our roadster's 18 year history," commented Mark Cameron, Mazda UK marketing director.  "Now, for the first time with the Niseko, we are offering a 'special' model in both soft-top and roadster coupe forms and with co-ordinated brown leather seats and interior trim.  Personally, I think the new 'Icy Blue' colour is going to appeal particularly to women buyers, although since launch the third generation Mazda MX-5 has achieved a 50/50, male/female sales mix as predicted.

 

"Traditionally, MX-5 buyers spend more on accessories and do more to individualise their cars, than other Mazda owners.  Although the majority of those buyers use their MX-5s all-year-round, the peak ordering period is from February through to May, so the introduction of Niseko in January will boost sales at the back end of winter and give us a head-start for a spring sales boom," added Cameron.

 

Special exterior features of the Mazda MX-5 Niseko include: unique design 17-inch alloy wheels, unique body-colour finish for the style bar trim, front fog lamps, Chrome Pack (door handles and headlamp bezels, and surrounds for the side‑repeaters, front grille and fog lamps) and special edition 'Niseko' badging on each front wing, plus a unique dark brown premium cloth for the fabric roof (soft-top only).

 

Inside, both Niseko models feature unique dark brown heated leather seats with co-ordinated door trim and icy blue stitching, plus dark brown leather steering wheel, gearknob and handbrake.  They are also equipped with a dark-silver dash panel, stainless-steel scuff plates and Niseko-branded luxury interior mats, with a suspension strut tower bracing bar beneath the bonnet.

 

As well as adding the special Niseko features, the generous standard equipment of the donor vehicles ensures that buyers can enjoy: driver's seat height adjustment, electric windows, central locking, MP3-compatible radio/single CD player with six-speaker audio system, climate control air‑conditioning, stainless-steel scuff plates, twin chrome exhaust tail pipes and a Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser.

 

Niseko owners will also enjoy a degree of exclusivity as production of this latest Mazda MX-5 model will be restricted.  Just 240 examples of the Mazda MX-5 1.8i Niseko soft-top and 560 units of the MX-5 2.0i Niseko roadster coupe will be made available in the UK.

 

Despite all of the additional specification, both Mazda MX-5 Niseko special editions remain in the same insurance groups as their standard counterparts – 11E (1.8i) and 13E (2.0i).

 

The new Mazda2 scores 5 Stars in NCAP crash testing!

 

5-STARS FOR NEW MAZDA2 IN LATEST Euro NCAP RATINGS

 

The all-new Mazda2 supermini has been awarded a 5-Star safety rating in the latest round of Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) crash tests.

 

In terms of occupant protection, the new Mazda2 proved itself to be among the safest cars in the small car segment – earning the maximum 5-Stars for adult protection, plus a class-leading 4-Stars for child protection and a competitive 2-Stars for pedestrian protection.

 

“This is an excellent result for Mazda2, which is now officially one of the safest small cars,” commented Rob Lindley, Managing Director Mazda Motors UK.  “Mazda’s designers and engineers have demonstrated that lightweight construction, which is so important in cutting fuel consumption and reducing emissions, does not mean having to compromise on strength or safety.” 

 

The new Mazda2 weighs under 1,000kg, significantly less than the outgoing model, and its lightweight construction using ultra high-tensile steels, combined with sophisticated aerodynamics, enables the car to achieve reduced CO₂ emissions (from 129g/km) and fuel consumption (up to 52.3mpg), while ensuring brisk acceleration and agile handling characteristics.

 

The three-strong Mazda2 range of petrol models is available in the UK from just £8,499 (on-the-road), with diesel models in showrooms from March 2008.

 

FW: Furai concept & RX-8 news

 

MAZDA FURAI CONCEPT AND NEW MAZDA RX-8

TO MAKE WORLD DEBUT AT DETROIT SHOW

 

Mazda Motor Corporation has confirmed that it will stage the world premieres of the new Mazda Furai concept vehicle and the heavily revised version of the Mazda RX-8 sports car in Detroit on press day (Sunday 13 January, 2008), at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). 

 

Following its show-stopping debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show in October, the Mazda Taiki concept vehicle also will make its North American debut, the first time it has been shown outside Japan.  Additionally, Mazda will have a special display of racecars on its stand during the press days, and the full line-up of production cars for consumers to view for the public days.

 

Mazda Furai –'Sound of the wind'

Inspired by the fact that, on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas and Mazda‑powered racing cars in action on circuits across the United States than any other brand, Mazda has created the Mazda Furai.  It is the sort of car that could only come from a company that incorporates the 'Soul of a Sports Car' into everything it builds, but with an eye toward the future and the environment through the use of synthetic fuel (cellulosic ethanol E100) produced by British Petroleum (BP).

 

Furai takes Mazda's unique Nagare (Japanese for 'flow') design language a step further as it is translated into a concept car based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) sports racing car.  The car utilizes the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track.

 

 "Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from racing cars," says Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda's North American director of design.  "Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and the sportiest of street-legal production models — commonly called supercars — that emulate the real racers on the road.  Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before.

 

"Mazda's critically acclaimed Nagare design language describes the flow of water, air, people or things moving in one direction.  Mazda Nagare is flow, with an insightful and spirited styling, which, in Mazda Furai, invokes a raw, unfettered desire to possess everything this car represents," enthuses Holzhausen.

 

New Mazda RX-8

Sporting a freshened design, improved handling, stronger acceleration, enhanced quality and extra features, the heavily revised new version of the Mazda RX-8 continues to be a 'Sports Car like no other' and shows that the rotary engine is still an important part of Mazda's future.

 

Since its launch in 2003, the Mazda RX-8 has been hailed as a genuine sports car, but with a totally new, four-door, four-seat format that delivers true sports car values and driving pleasure, together with unique passenger comfort.

 

Powered by the world's only mass-produced rotary engine, RX-8 is the spiritual successor to the 1967 Cosmo 110S, the world's first twin-rotor production car.  With almost two‑million rotary engines sold, and the company's legendary win at the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours – the only Japanese brand to ever win the endurance racing classic – the rotary engine is the sole preserve of Mazda.