New Mazda Takuya Special Editions for UK Market

Obviously Mazda has embarked on a journey to teach Japanese to British buyers. After the MX-5 Miyako limited edition series - named after a Japanese island, Mazda is now introducing the 'Takuya' special edition range, available on the Mazda2, Mazda3 and Mazda6 models. The name 'Takuya' – pronounced 'tah-koy-yah' – is taken from the Japanese for forerunner or pioneer. Changes on the special edition models are limited to cosmetic and equipment upgrades.

Starting with the Mazda2, the Takuya model comes with a 86HP 1.3-liter petrol engine and features 16-inch alloy wheels, a sports styling kit with spoiler, sports bumpers and side skirts, and front fog lights. The five-door hatch's interior is upgraded with black sports trim, trip computer, leather steering wheel and gear knob, steering wheel remote audio controls and a Parrot Bluetooth hands-free kit. Prices start from £11,915 (OTR).

Priced from £15,780, the Mazda3 Takuya gets a 105HP 1.6L petrol engine and boasts a leather steering wheel and shift knob, automatic dual-zone climate control air conditioning, black sports interior trim, sports seats, an integrated Bluetooth system, LED lights, a six-disc CD changer and rain-sensing wipers.

Those interested in the Mazda6 Takuya have the option to choose from three different version - 2.0-litre five-door (£19,845), 2.2D 163ps five-door (£20,945) and 2.2D 163ps Estate (£21,595).

All three models benefit from the fitment of 18-inch alloy wheels, a sports grille and dusk-sensing headlights on the exterior, while the interior is upgraded with an alloy pedal set, half-leather heated seats, auto-dimming rear view mirror, dual-zone automatic climate control air conditioning, and leather steering wheel and shift knob.

Euro-Spec Mazda6 Facelift to Debut at Geneva Show

Following the announcement on the release of the refreshed Atenza in Japan, Mazda revealed that the facelift version of the European market Mazda6 will have its premiere alongside the all-new Mazda5 and one more car that has yet to be named, at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March.

Like its sister model in Japan, the new Mazda6 has received some minor cosmetic touches in the form of new head and rear lamps along with a restyled front bumper that adopts a five-point grille and new alloy wheel designs.

As expected, the Mazda6 will be offered with the firm's new 2.0-litre DISI gasoline unit with direct injection that is said to use less fuel and produce fewer emissions than the 2.0-litre engine it replaces.

Furthermore, Mazda said that it has updated the 1.8 and 2.5-litre gasoline engines, without giving out any more details.

The '6's European lineup is rounded off by a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine that is available in three power derivatives, from 129 to 180HP, all of which are said to have improved fuel-efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.

Finally, the Mazda6 also gets new chassis settings and several new active safety features including an adaptive front lighting system and hill-launch assist.

The facelifted Mazda6 will go on sale across Europe this spring.

2011 Mazda6 - Atenza Facelift Officially Unveiled in Japan, gets New 2.0-Liter Engine with Direct Injection

Only moments after we posted a gallery of scanned brochures from the refreshed Atenza, otherwise known as the Japanese market version of the Mazda6, and the automaker came out with an official release on its mid-size model. More of a subtle nip-and-tuck than a full blown facelift, the 2011MY Atenza has been refined with some styling changes, chassis tweaks and a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with direct injection.

The exterior enhancements for the freshened Mazda6 bring it line with the firm's more recent models mainly by adopting the new Mazda family face with a five-point front grille.

There front bumper has been redesigned and features more pronounced air-inlets on the corners, while the newly styled 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels together with the revised tail lamp clusters complete the exterior makeover.

The interior updates are even less obvious as aside from some equipment upgrades, changes are limited to the new glossy, piano-black finish that has been applied to the center panel, audio and air conditioner panel surrounds as well as the shift gate and steering wheel spokes, and the chrome garnish on the climate control and audio dials, shift knob and inner door handles.

Underneath the hood, as expected, Mazda fitted the Japanese '6 with its newly developed 2.0-liter DISI gasoline engine with direct injection.

Mazda did not disclose any details, but we gather that it's the same unit found on the new Mazda5 MPV that will have its debut at the Geneva Show in March.

The Japanese automaker said that it has also tweaked the Atenza's power steering and suspension settings improving the car's handling and straight-line stability at high speeds as well the ride quality.

Although Mazda did not mention anything about the Mazda6 sold in overseas markets including Europe and North America, chance are we'll see a similar facelift on the '6 sometime this year.

2011 Mazda6 / Atenza to Receive Mild Facelift?

A single brochure photo of what is said to be the faclifted JDM Mazda6, or as it's known in its home market, the Atenza, has been making the rounds on the internet today.

Being the investigative types that we are, we dug a bit deeper and discovered five more scanned leaflets that include photos of the available aero parts and packages from Mazda and its tuning partners circulating on various Japanese sites.

Unfortunately, we can't say with certainty if these photos actually show the facelifted version of the JDM Mazda6 or not, but from what we can tell, the Atenza pictured here features a different nose with a new bumper incorporating a more smiley-shaped lower grille and more pronounced air inlets on both corners.

If the facelift turns out to be real, it's almost certain that the Mazda6 / Atenza will be offered with the firm's newly-developed SKY-G 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol with direct-injection and SKY-G twin-turbocharged diesel units.

Via: Autoblog.it , Beebee2see & Minkara

EuroNCAP's Revised Safety Ratings for Six New Cars Including Mazda6, Avensis and Impreza

The European organization for the assessment of vehicle safety has published the first results under its updated rating system. Up until now, Euro NCAP made three separate ratings available for each vehicle, but with the new system there's an overall rating for every car covering Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Pedestrian Protection and a new area of assessment, Safety Assist which takes into account systems such as electronic stability control (ESC) and seat belt reminders.

Of the six cars tested under the new ratings system, four managed to achieve Euro NCAP's maximum award of five stars: the Mazda 6, Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Avensis and Toyota iQ. Citroen's C3 Picasso minivan and the Subaru Impreza were both awarded four stars.

According to Euro NCAP, with the exception of the Subaru Impreza, all the other cars failed to impress on pedestrian protection.

After the announcement of the results, Mitsubishi and Subaru both said that they would change their ESC (electronic stability control) fitment policies for the Lancer and Impreza, as variants of these models without optional ESC were offered in some Euroepan countries.

Euro NCAP's new rating scheme requires all safety equipment, including ESC, to be standard on 85% of volume sales and at least optionally available on every variant.