very interesting concept Brett. Forgive me if you’ve already answered this question on fb, I don’t fb. Have you an idea of a cooling chamber? And how exactly will it save fuel? Egr is an inert gas and has no combustible value. Does it just make up for some compression eliminating it from the total afr? I hope it proves viable, that would no longer make it a concept but a scientific fact and relevant to everyone.

 

The concept of using cool and or hot egr to improve fuel economy has been around since the seventies . Practically all modern cars do it so it is well proven to work and be viable. When Mazda built the Renesis they cut internal EGR right back to what the engine needed to idle well(around 10%). I recognised there might be a possibility to introduce more egr at higher engine speeds when I realised my bridgeported engine was getting good gas mileage. The problem with a Bridgeported engine however , is that it wont idle well . So I reasoned that if I could somehow shut off the flow under certain conditions , there could be merit in finding a way to get more egr back into the engine without using an external system.
This thread talks about it a little more :https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tec...enesis-264156/
As far as cooling it goes , I believe that by stratifying the egr , this becomes unnecessary to a large extent.
Cheers

 

just FYI, and don't mean necessarily a future product, but Mazda has filed two new patents about front and rear suspensions, with a sophisticated scheme.

FRONT SUSPENSION STRUCTURE OF AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE

REAR SUSPENSION STRUCTURE OF AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE

i think that these are possible suspensions of new sedan based on vision coupe concept.

not clearly related to an RWD layout, but there are some hints about that.

 

Agree Matt, independent set up front and rear (no live axle BS)...

Note, it shows a 5 stud/lug for wheel hubs, this always means a higher HP rated vehicle, I go as far to say the next gen 6 or could it be all new RE/RX, announced in 2019/20 for a 2020/21 MY.

 

my only doubt is this: in the rear axis there are pictures of coaxial spring and damper, in all the premium RWD sedans (BMW,MB,Jag,Alfa,Lexus) spring and dampers are in separate positions.

there is a possibility of RE/RX , intended as a more sporty car.

 

Mazda Vision Coupe (the 4 door one) has just won The Most Beautiful Concept Car Award in France.
Second time as previous winner was the RX-Vision Soul Red Coupe (2 door).

Well done MAZDA, only wish these stunning beast would make production...do not hold your breath .

https://www.carlist.my/news/mazda-vi...-france/49405/

 

Thanks ASH8 for the post. Yes it just makes us more frustrated knowing these cars will most likely never see the light of day and are just a styling win.

 

Well it has basically been confirmed that Mazda will bring a new RE to market in 2019, BUT ONLY AS A RANGE EXTENDER, some EU exec has said so, yes a Range Extender in a Mazda 3 type car, that is why all the room is in the rear end (for the two shoe box size single rotor generator, maybe)....YAWN.

No news on any Rotary POWERED car, and there wont be, it is DEAD, Mazda are still struggling with emissions and economy and the CRUNCHER being any Business case.
As I have said before ANY new RE will be basically be banned in EU or much higher taxes because of lack of economy and not making emissions, remember EU is banning Diesel.

So where exactly is the Business case or market for a RE Powered car, the US, while important Mazda needs worldwide export...it is a numbers game or a much much higher selling price.

 

Well, I see the higher selling price being the solution.

I would imagine a low-volume vehicle could excuse some of the rotaries' weaknesses. If you want to buy an expensive sports car, I don't think high taxes will stop them.

 

 

But, but, but, there was an Rx-8 on the Ring,

 

A tax (at whatever percentage) adds to the final selling price on anything, Oh like a import tariff on dumping Steel and Aluminium (25 to 10%). Up goes the price of Cars, Buses, Machinery, Planes, Buildings, Roads and Beer and Food.

Every car maker (or manufacturer) has to look at competition and what the net price of their product will be and who will purchase it, buying talk is cheap.

MX-5 (Miata) sales have slowed which is normal, the 2 year bounce is over, just like the RX-8 great in first 2 years. Without FIAT buying the current ND (and Fiat sales are slow) I doubt Mazda would have given the ND a green light to build.

 

Not 100% sure. Rotary and MX-5 are the core value of Mazda brand. Since they are chasing a repositioning of the brand (upmarket) they need at least one symbol of what they are, basically.

Probably FIAT money helped to have a correct life cycle of the model and "money don't stink" for sure in Hiroshima.

Mazda needs more models with high margins ..so more crossovers , more luxury models (RWD) in general e obviously no rotary (which basically sucks money in the economy of the company).

 

Its also winter here in the US, so sales for 2 seat sporty cars will always slow down this time of year. Typically March and April is when they climb back up into the near or over 1xxx range per month.

Plus, with a future version getting a hp bump for next year (2019), you might see depressed sales until Mazda makes the higher hp version available to buyers (why buy a Miata with 155 hp when you can get one with 181?). Same applies to the Mazda 6 sales. Why buy the current 2017.5 version when if you just wait 2 months, you can get the facelifted version with a turbocharged 250 hp engine instead?

That's why I didn't buy a 6 GT on Dec 31st.
Why buy this one, when the turbo Signature will be available in about 4 months?

Though I have been keeping an eye on the GT at this dealer just in case the price drops low enough that I just can't say no anymore.

BC.

 

Assume for a second, that the rotary engine as a range extender actually works really well and Mazda sells alot of them. A rotary engine production machine that prints money can only mean good things for rotary development.

 

Well Mazda are not in it as a charity, repeat going over the same crap, people are just NOT Buying Sports cars or Coupes in the numbers that make it viable = making money.

It is Great to see Mazda in North America has had a second record sales month this year, but this must happen year in and year out as every other year for the past almost 20 years has been stagnant or going backwards.

Fact remains without the US doing well for Mazda means trouble and MAZDA should listen to customers, as I said when it was released the Mazda 6 needed a more powerful engine as an option at least, that is what the SA-D (Diesel) was meant to do and we know what happened there.

As I have said before, Mazda promised existing owners that CarPlay and Android Auto will be available and happening in existing Mazda Connect owners ( all Mazda's from 2014 on-wards), 4 years later and still nothing happened, owners are really mad.
Why say so publicly that it will be made available in the first place.?

 

Honestly, anyone who buys a car and expects a free upgrade on their connectivity and entertainment system is a fool, and will be really disappointed when it never comes true. If its not installed at the time you buy the car, it is most likely not ever going to get installed.

Mazda, as you said, is having trouble on a few different fronts.
Why would they go through the expense of getting licensing for Apple and Google products in their cars when they have so many other items that they are busy devoting engineering resources into in order to stay afloat, and keep the lights on?

Mazda NA needs to find a way to get more people buying their products.
As you have said, multiple engine choices is one way to do it, though the bulk of the buyers of a family sedan typically choose the less powerful engine option.

If you can find the numbers, please let us know how many buyers of the Camry and Accord last year chose the V-6 engine option in the US. I would be surprised if the take rate was anywhere near the 30% mark, and wouldn't be surprised if it was around 15%.

And this article agrees with me that most American buyers don't care about the powerful engine option:

2018 Mazda 6's Optional Turbo Engine Is Just What The Doctor Ordered, But Probably Not What The Market Prescribed | GCBC

It indicates that the Accord had a near 15% take rate for the 2.0T engine, and the Camry was only at 9% for the V-6. So what's the point of offering this engine option again?

Mazda's marketing sucks in the US, period.
Who are they trying to sell cars to? Do THEY even know?
Time to rock that boat.

Their best bet would be to do what they did in Canada, and offer the 5 year, unlimited mileage warranty in the US. That would give them a leg up on EVERYONE they compete against, and all of the ones they wish they competed against.

American buyers want bargains, and they want value.
If Mazda wants to increase sales, then they need to figure out how to appeal to this customers needs. Right now, the auto market might be about to fall down a deep hole, and Mazda needs to figure out if they want to get flushed or not.

If Mazda wants to keep competing with Infiniti and Acura for sales volume, then they should just simply go up market, and build cars that truly compete in those segments. That's where the profit and all the sales growth is at.

They need to stop straddling the fence, and figure out which side has the green grass that they want to graze in, and just get it over with.

BC.

 

Nothing to do with being "foolish" is is all about Brand Loyalty, and there are many thousands of owners around the world who are pissed at Mazda as they said @ POS that AA and CP were coming for Mazda Connect, even Apple says so back in 2014 on their website, still do.

And guess where Apple products are the strongest .........(USA)
Guess which product (Apps) gives all car makers problems with their Infotainment systems (see above).

Android is open, no licence required.

And I agree, Mazda has to stop competing with the Koreans as they already stole/lost that market and copy everything the Japanese do, Mazda and Ford were part owners of KIA a few decades ago.
What concerns me about Mazda going up market is their US reputation, which is not that great when compared to elsewhere in the world. Are they not still considered a 'low rent' product by average Joe?.

Mazda just take way too long to act, they announce new tech then it is 3 years later when it may surface.

Also Totally agree, MAZDA must offer a higher warranty period, they can afford to do so now there is no Rotary, in Australia it has been 3 year unlimited for a few decades, KIA offers 7 years, Subaru 5, Honda 5.

 

Hopefully, Skactiv-X works out well then.

And since we are talking about an Accord, 15% of total sales(I think V6 Accords had about the same take rate, 15%~20%) is still a lot, and it helps that the Civic Type R engine is similar, which means the 2.0T Accords can have some potential with the aftermarket support. Honda also offers 6-speed manual options for both of the Accord engines. They probably also have very low take rate, but heh, if it makes money, they will keep making them.

Family sedans are not doing that well in general. Accord sales had a horrible start due to bad marketing. North America's sick love affair with CUVs don't help, either.

 

Just out for OZ...

Mazda's SUV range continues to impress Australians, with the Mazda CX-5 and Mazda CX-3 achieving new monthly sales records in February, according to VFACTS figures released today.

Mazda's award-winning CX-5 continues to outsell any other SUV in the market, achieving its best February result yet. The CX-5 saw 2,191 sales last month, a 13.3% increase on the previous year.

The Mazda CX-3 also pipped its previous February sales record, with 1,562 retails, amounting to a 6.4% increase on the same time last year.

Mazda's results reflect the growing trend toward SUV ownership in Australia, where for the first time in 2017, SUV sales outdid those of passenger cars.

Mazda Australia Managing Director, Vinesh Bhindi, said the result shows sustained growth and high interest in Mazda's SUV range.

"We're thrilled to see Mazda's SUV range remain a top choice for Australian new car buyers, who continue to be won over by our reputation for safety, performance and style," said Mr Bhindi.

"With demand for SUV's showing no sign of slowing down, we look forward to introducing the Mazda CX-8 to Australia in the second half of the year."

For more information on Mazda's range of SUVs and the forthcoming Mazda CX-8.

 

I still think Mazda's priority in the US should be whipping their dealership networks into shape. They could make the best and most unique cars in every class, but they won't be able to sell them if the party between the transaction of the person writing the check and Mazda comprises of a party littered with complete scum bags.

 

I'd love it if Mazda had the power to fire the service manager at my local dealer.

 

I don't believe Mazda has that reputation with the average buyer in the US Market. They have always rated above Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Kia, and Hyundai for reputation over the years.

The biggest problems that Mazda had were their quality during the Ford years for products that were shared with Ford, the dealer network, which as you can see in the comments above is still a problem, and the historic travesty that the S1 Renesis engine brought upon the company, which is constantly dogged on the internet, where people who have never even driven an RX-8, bash it and the engine, endlessly.

The easiest way for Mazda to clean up their reputation is to offer the 5 Year Unlimited Warranty in the US, as that would get a whole new group of buyers who went to Hyundai/Kia back in the showroom, and would bring others that just want a problem free car from all the other manufacturers. Hyundai/Kia did it right with the 10 year powertrain warranty, even though their dealer network has an EVEN WORSE reputation than Mazda.

Yeah, no kidding.
They promised a Mazda 6 diesel about 6 months after the car was redesigned.
nearly 4 years later, it still hasn't shown up.
They promised a CX-5 diesel a year and a half ago as a 2017 model, and it also is a no show. Its still on their god damn website right now:

https://www.mazdausa.com/vehicles/2017-cx-5-diesel

We don't even need to talk about the 16X on here do we?

Mazda is so slow to react to market changes, and very hesitant to pull the trigger on product offerings here in the US market. Its a leadership problem, either here, or in Japan. The very few changes that they have made over the past 3 years on the leadership side of things haven't produced a hill of beans as of yet.

What exactly do they expect is going to happen, if they don't change the things that are broken with the way they sell cars in this market? Sales don't increase just because you wantr more sales.

BC.

 

Believe me it is Japan, they tell you what to do.

You guys appear to have this view that the USA is the hub of Mazda, MNAO are all yes men to Japan. Been that way forever.

Every Distributor (which Mazda NAO is) and Mazda Australia (I worked there, when it was GWA), and Mazda Motors Europe know next to nothing about what is happening, they get told 6 months out, or they are told Mazda are working on a new range of Engines (no details) for release in 3-4 years time, usually only the local CEO or 'President' is told on a need to know when they do their 6 monthly fly over meeting in Japan.

This is why you do not see media leaks.

As for asking Car Salesmen at Dealerships what is happening, what a laugh...a few are switched on, but most are clueless until car is on the floor.

And yes, have been saying it for years most of the retail issues are always Dealerships, Distributors have to weed out the bad ones, can be a very slow process due to litigation, particularly the US.

 

The hardest part:

Some of the worst dealers in the US are the one who sell the most cars.
Mazda is going to have a very hard time convincing itself to fire the dealers that make the most money.

BC.