2002 Mazda E2000 Reviews

Mazda Australia has issued a recall for 860 diesel engined variants of its CX-60 and CX-90 SUVs sold between 2023 and 2024.

The Toyota RAV4 was Australia’s favourite vehicle last month, overtaking the incumbent utes and notching up 5933 sales. The Ford Ranger (4915) and Toyota HiLux (4747) trailed Australia’s favourite SUV, with Toyota once again taking overall honours. Mazda managed to keep its head above Ford with both maintaining a solid gap back to fourth-placed Kia. It was another record-breaking July with 99,486 registrations recorded enough to beat last year’s result by 2.7 per cent. Year-to-date, sales are at 731,898 — up 7.9 per cent on last year’s record numbers.“This is a remarkable achievement in an economy featuring widespread cost of living pressures,” noted Federal Chamber of Automobile Industries (FCAI) head Tony Weber. “It was also interesting to note that while sales in the Business and Government segments were up 13.7 per cent and 37.5 per cent respectively, Private sales were down 4.2 per cent,” added Weber. Hybrid sales were also buoyant up 88.4 per cent on last year with plug-in hybrid sales up 128.9 per cent. The share of electric cars fell slightly to 6.6 per cent. “While the first seven months of 2024 have exceeded expectations, the industry remains cautious about the future pending the implementation of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard coupled with the economic conditions,” cautioned Weber.Toyota is riding the popularity of hybrid vehicles keeping its head in first place with 22,705 sales last month and climbing back to an impressive 22.8 per cent market share.The battle between Ford (57,371) and Mazda (57,023) is nail-bitingly close, the former having a slower July (7749 vs 8476) but managing to hold second place year-to-date by a slim 348 car margin. Kia remains in a strong fourth followed by Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Isuzu, MG, Nissan and Subaru.As for models, the Corolla hatch and sedan had an extremely strong sales month with 2688 registrations with its sparring partner, the Hyundai i30 (663), nowhere to be seen as the company waits for the updated hatch to arrive (though with Kia Cerato sales up significantly to 1592). Then came the Isuzu D-Max ute, Ford Everest large SUV, the Mitsubishi Outlander and Mazda CX-5 mid-size SUVs and the MG ZS small SUV. The Toyota Kluger rounded out the top 10, beating the LandCruiser to the punch. Tesla’s sales were weaker in July with just 1353 Model Y and 1239 Model 3 registrations not enough to see either model climb into the overall top 10. By state and territory, the Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia all improved their positions while the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria had small sips (less than two per cent). Sales in Tasmania were down 12 per cent.

interested in Australia's most popular new vehicles? Here is a list ranking sales from from 1-100 between January 1 and June 30, 2024.

While electric cars and traditional hybrids have exploded in popularity, plug-in hybrids have remained a relatively niche alternative. By the middle of 2024, though, sales are up 130 per cent, from 3582 sales in 2023 to 8223 thanks to more models becoming available and improved vehicle supply. Driven by the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and new BYD Sealion 6, the plug-in hybrid landscape is only going to become more populous in the coming months, including when BYD launches the first PHEV ute to be sold in Australia. Plug-in hybrids offer a unique combination of electric mobility but without range anxiety. Their battery packs, typically between 10-20kWh in capacity, offer between 50-150km of electric-only range, matching early electric cars. There is the added benefit of a combustion engine that can kick in when you run out of battery. This means long distance road trips, like Sydney-Melbourne, require less charge stop planning than in a battery electric car. The technology is only improving, too. Manufacturers are fitting larger battery packs, more efficient motors and adding DC fast-charge capability to their plug-in hybrids. BYD is heavily invested, releasing its fifth-gen Dual Motor intelligence (DM-i) system in China with claims of 2100km total driving range and nearly 200km from the battery alone. It is not a perfect solution. Owners need to be diligent with charging to get anywhere close to the official fuel consumption ratings, typically below 3L/100km. Dragging the extra battery weight around often means similar fuel consumption to a petrol vehicle when out of charge, too. In its first month on sale, the new BYD Sealion 6 medium SUV notched up a healthy 482 registrations – it’ll be quick to challenge the established Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (2422) and Eclipse Cross PHEV (1482, both year-to-date).Following the mainstream nameplates come some more premium options, including the Mazda CX-60 (460 to end of May), Volvo XC60 (390), Cupra Formentor (313), MG HS Plus EV (307), Porsche Cayenne e-Hybrid (304), Audi Q5 (301), Lexus NX (175) and Mercedes-AMG C63 (163).Expect plug-in hybrid sales to easily reach beyond 15,000 this year. That’s still a long way off projected electric car (100,000) and hybrid (160,000) sales, but it is a big increase for the powertrain style. Also helping to drive sales are the current FBT exemptions for novated leasing on plug-in hybrid vehicles making them more attractive to buyers. This benefit will end on April 1, 2025. Hybrid hero Toyota sells a selection of plug-in hybrid models overseas, including the RAV4 and Prius Prime. Having committed to a 100 per cent hybrid or electric passenger car line-up (excluding GR) in Australia, Toyota may also join the fray. “As we evolve and battery technology evolves, there will be certain benefits that PHEV can offer that will also fit into those top three categories. Eventually, we'll have plug-in hybrids. What variants? We will have to decide,” Toyota Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley told CarsGuide in May.

Mazda might be set to lose its long-held place as Australia’s second favourite automotive brand, but the company’s local brass isn’t too concerned.

Australia's ever-booming new car market has hit a bump in the road, with the June sales result recording the industry's first year-on-year decline in around 16 months.

Mazda Australia says it is not concerned its new large SUV strategy will confuse buyers, and believes the four new models will have their own distinct identity on dealer showroom floors.

If you think electric vehicles might be just a fad, like a Rubik’s Cube or a Livestrong bracelet, or even those Oakley stickers everyone had on their windscreens that said “Thermonuclear Protection”, we have news for you: EVs aren’t going anywhere. They’re going everywhere.

A traditional sports car is a lot like the barfly at your local pub - it consumes a hell of a lot more, and is a lot louder than pretty much anything within a one kilometre radius. 

We know the next-gen Mazda CX-5 is coming. What it will be called, its powertrain offering and underpinnings remain a mystery, though.