ok here is what i know-

the 8 will not see anymore factory power b4 the release of the MS6
there will not be an outside of japan MS RX8 before the end of this year
there was a RX-7 concept ready to be shown at Tokyo but it was pulled at the last minute

here is what i believe with a high degree of certainty
there was an RX7 concept(possibly the exact same on readied for tokyo) at MNAO in Irvine during 7stock just a few feet from everyone who went into the room off the courtyard.

the MS RX8 concept will debut at the end of this year (like the MS6 did) but not be available for sale until the middle or later part of 2006. More than likely with the body kit and sc from the sam mitani article.

what i dont know but can guess at-
i have no idea what this minor change may be at the end of 2005. the only thing i can think of is that they actually mean a change to the US MY 2006 cars. in which case i bet its a minor face lift along the lines of the RB front end since they helped do a focus group that included the body kit seen on the car in the sam mitani article.

 

...sounds like what my contact here in Houston (MNAO Gulf Coast Office) has hinted about...

G/J, best post so far.

 

April/May-ish. I'll definitely be going again. If it's there, I'll take some digital camera pics, grab some brochures, etc.

 

I agree! Except for the bodykit on the MS8. I do like the one in the sam Mitani article better, but... would be an issue in the JDM with the MS8 and MS8 II (basically the same just another limited run) that have been released here? Although the MP3 and Mazdaspeed protege do have slightly different bodykits... so maybe it will go that way.

As far as the MC (minor change) goes... I'm with you zoom44... no idea. I'd love to see the RB changes replace the appearance package. I dunno about the RB front becoming the stock front though... just the whole "DNA" thing as you can see in the MS6 and the general grill shape used on all current Mazdas. Since the RB front doesn't incorporate that and neither does the MS8, I don't think it'd be likely to appear as the "stock" front... appearance package maybe, but stock no... at least not without some changes.

The 5spd auto is another good guess. SMG... hmm... I dunno... that sounds better reserved for the MS8 to me. It's an M3 option and stock M5... not a regular 3 series or 5 series option. It just makes more sense to put it in the MS8.

 

... or maybe this weekend... January 14, 15 and 16

 

Or maybe I was talking about the Tokyo MOTOR show not Tokyo Auto Salon.

 

actually I think that's in the fall (motorshow). The bike motorshow is in april/may...

 

OK OK, one of us needs to take a week off from work...fly to Japan, put on our best Ninja outfit, take a digital cam with a telephoto lens on it, be willing to be arrested, then find a computer to post the pictures from inside the jail cell without becomming someone's b**ch...LOL...easy...anyone willing?

LOL

 

LOL, this guy must be in IT...LOL..."Move...a la SNL"

Actually, I thought the spoon fed thing was funny.

 

Yeah, that one is usually in October/November... that is a really great show, lots of new products are unveiled there each year.

T.A.S. is more like SEMA compared to T.M.S. which is like the big Detroit Auto Show.