Mazda 3 2010 News

Mazda Australia has issued a national recall for 124,686 examples of its last-generation Mazda2, Mazda3 and Mazda6 models which were sold between September 2007 and March 2012.

Mazda has issued a global recall of more than 2.2 million cars from across its range to rectify a potential corrosion issue that affects some of its best-selling models.

The entry level Neo model of the popular Mazda3 doesn't have a reversing camera, and many expected the brand to fit one as standard when it announced a pricing adjustment as a result of the free trade agreement with Japan.Instead, the brand made rear parking sensors and alloy wheels standard on the Neo, despite the fact that some of the cheapest cars on the market — including the Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz — now have cameras as standard equipment."It might surprise you," Benders said, "but I don't have a string of customer complaints or comments saying, 'where's my reversing camera?'"There is no silver bullet to stop accidentsBenders said a reversing camera shouldn't be relied on to guard against driveway tragedies involving young children."I don't see the driveway as being a place where kids should be walking around in the first place," he said."I expect that people who drive cars take care and attention about how they drive their cars. Reversing cameras are not infallible. They're more an aid but so are reverse parking sensors and they will pick up obstacles in the same way."He later clarified his comments, saying he hadn't meant to be dismissive about the cameras, but was making the point that drivers had to take responsibility for road safety, rather than rely on crash-avoidance technology."There is no silver bullet to stop accidents," he said.

Increasing competition in the hot hatch segment has pushed Mazda plans for a Mazda 3 MPS powered by a turbocharged 2.5-litre, according to insiders in Japan.

The Japanese brand has boosted the features list for the small car range by adding Bluetooth - already standard in key competitors Cruze and Corolla - to the entry-level $20,330 Neo model without adding to the price tag.The system will enable hands free phone use and music streaming, the latter also on offer via a USB input. A USB connection also allows for full iPod integration and function via the steering-wheel mounted controls and information being displayed on the centre display.So far this year the Mazda3 has sold more than 28,000 units and was just ahead of the Toyota's HiLux range of two and four-wheel drive utility vehicles in second and the soon-to-be-replaced Corolla in third.Mazda Australia's national marketing manager, Alastair Doak, says the Mazda3 is Australia's most popular car and the updates were designed to maintain that. “With the introduction of Bluetooth and USB across the entire range, offering even more value to the customer, we expect the appeal to continue.“The fact that the latest enhancements come at no extra cost shows that we are intent on giving Mazda buyers more,” he says. Mazda facelifted the top-seller last year, so the extra equipment is part of an upgrade the company would hope helps keep the hatch and sedan range in the top tier of the car sales race, as the next Mazda3 is not likely until next year.The Mazda3 MPS hot hatch has also been updated with changes to the paintwork and wheels, with no change to the $39,490 price tag. “It's a tweak with the MPS - it was made available to us, the MPS wasn't part of that facelift last year so it was an opportunity for us to bring some updates to the MPS as well,” Mr Maciver says.Exterior mirrors, part of the rear spoiler and rear lower bumper are now painted in a black mica colour, the radio reception is now taken care of by a shark fin antenna and the alloy wheels have taken on a dark metallic hue. “The main volume market for the (Mazda6 MPS) car is the US but ultimately the volume wasn't there, that's the reason the decision was made to stop production of the car, there's no plans to add more MPS models,” he says. 

BRITISH driver Ben Barker has won the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship by the smallest winning margin in the series history and with the closest top three in series history. The 19-year-old scored the fastest lap in the final at Sandown Raceway last weekend by five one hundredths of a second claiming a bonus point and clinching the title from Mitch Evans. Barker's title is the third in three years for the dominating Adelaide outfit, Team BRM, and the third consecutive title for British-born drivers. Barker scored 220 points to Evans's 219, with Tom Tweedie on 208. Barker wasn't informed of his win until well into the cool-down lap following the race. "I couldn't believe it. It was a huge relief. I didn't know I had won and didn't know who had fastest lap so it was an amazing feeling to know that I had done it," Barker said. Tim Macrow won the race ahead of the three title contenders with Barker in fourth.BRISBANE teenager Chaz Mostert dominated the Formula Ford races at the Gold Coast 600 with pole position and a clean sweep of the three races to extend his championship lead to 83 points and his race-winning streak to six. The 18-year-old also secured a full-time drive in a Miles Racing Falcon in the V8 development series next year. He had his first race in the development series at Bathurst this month finishing fourth for the round. "Doing the development series next year seems to be the best way to go to get into the V8 Supercars," he said.There are two rounds to go in the eight-round Formula Ford series and 122 points up for grabs.QUEENSLANDER John Martin has wrapped up the Superleague Formula season with victory in two out of three races at Navarra in Spain, claiming more than $140,000 in prizemoney. Martin, 26, also charged from 18th to sixth in the reverse grid second race in his Beijing Guoan FC machine while his Alan Docking Racing (ADR) crew scored the fastest pitstop. It was the sixth time the 2006 Australian Formula Ford Champion had stood on the top step of the podium this season. The championship was won by Davide Rigon for (RSC Anderlecht ahead of Craig Dolby (Tottenham Hotspur) and Max Wissel (FC Basel). Martin was ninth in the series but fourth in the prizemoney with $516,000. He will return in 2011 with ADR.STUART Kostera took a clean sweep of race wins in the Australian Manufacturers Championship at Sandown at the weekend to clinch the title in his Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X. The West Australian took the title lead from Garry Holt (BMW 335i) who crashed out in the first corner of the first race and finished fourth in the second race. Kostera's teammate Inky Tulloch was second in both races, ahead of Jake Camilleri in his Mazda 3 MPS. Darren Hossack and James Sera finished one-two in the three Kerrick Sports Sedan Series races, with Sera scoring enough points to secure the title despite missing the opening round. Roger Lago wrapped up the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge after series rival Matt Kingsley crashed out in qualifying.THERE were three different winners in each V8 Ute race at the Gold Coast 600 at the weekend. Chris Pither won the first race and the round, rookie Rhys McNally claimed race two and series leader Grant Johnson won race three to extend his lead over Jack Elsegod by 86 points with one round to go at Sydney in December.PAUL Stokell won his first overall round of the Mini Challenge at the weekend in the Gold Coast 600. He scored a third, second and first place with former V8 Supercar racer Glenn Seton second for the round and local Beric Lynton third. The championship will come down to the wire in Sydney in December with series leader Chris Alajajian winning race one, but fourth in the second race and retiring with suspension damage in the third race. He leads Stokell inTHE absence of Chad Reed from the second round of the Australian Super X at the weekend allowed three American imports to dominate. Kevin Windham, Josh Hansen and Justin Brayton took out the open supercross on a slippery Canberra Stadium track. Best Australian was Jay Marmont in fourth. Hansen now leads the championship race followed by Brayton and Marmont in third. Reed won the first round in Newscastle with a one-off ride on a Honda, but flew back to the US last Sunday to stitch up a deal for the next season with either Honda or Yamaha. He is expected to miss this weekend's round in Launceston. Defending lites champ ion Matt Moss grabbed the holeshot and won the race to retain top slot.SEBASTIEN Loeb had already secured his seventh World Rally Championship in the previous round, but underlined his domination with his seventh victory of the season and 61st in his career by leading the Rally of Spain from start to finish in his Citroen. He was 35.3 seconds ahead of Petter Solberg with a slim 5.8 second margin over Loeb's teammate Dani Sordo. You Tube drifting star Ken Block finished ninth to secure his first WRC points. The final WRC round will be held in the UK next month.WAYNE Gardner's motorcycle racing legacy will continue with his son, Remy, following in his wheel tracks. The 12-year-old had his debut road race at the weekend in the Honda Racing Corporation NSF100 Trophy Worldwide Mini Bike race at Albacete Circuit in Spain. He raced against 35 other riders, but grappled with the reverse gear pattern shift and missed out by three places on the final for the top 18 riders. However, he finished fourth in the consolation final. "I loved battling against everyone. It was so much fun, I couldn't believe it," said the former World 500cc Champion's son.

Last month a record 89,218 new-vehicle sales were reported up a solid 18.3 per cent on the 74,441 of May last year. The previous best May was in 2008, before the global financial crisis, with 8,640.It means 422,446 new-vehicle sales this year nationally, a good 20 per cent growth (or 70,000 more sales) on the first five months of last year.  The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which released its Vfacts figures yesterday, now projects total sales of more than 1 million this calendar year.David Buttner, sales and marketing boss for Toyota which remains most popular brand in Australia predicts 1 million sales now will be easily passed in the financial year about to end.  In the 11 months of this financial year, the tally reads 904,551 vehicles. The final four weeks of ‘end of financial year sales’ have begun, and in each of the past three June totals, 100,000 has been achieved.Mr Buttner pointed out one in five new vehicles sold in Australia was now a Toyota.  FCAI head, Andrew McKellar said the SUV segment with 29 per cent growth on May last year and passenger cars, up 19 per cent, were leaders."But all segments increased during the month, demonstrating a genuine recovery in the marketplace," he said.  He said private buyers were returning in large numbers, taking over the momentum provided by business buyers this year.  Holden achieved its fifth consecutive month of growth, 24 per cent up on May last year.The Commodore with 3899 sales last month regained its top place while Toyota's HiLux, the April leader, was back to second place on 3665. It means Commodore remains in front in sales so far this year in its fight to be Australia's favourite car again in 2010.Falcon has third place for May and Mazda3 outsold rival Toyota Corolla while Holden Cruze imported at present but to be built in Adelaide from next year is in sixth place.  Mitsubishi is celebrating after its Lancer doubled sales of May last year to leap into the top-cars list.  Vehicles selling more than 1500 last month (with year-to-date in brackets):1. Holden Commodore 3899 (18,428)2. Toyota HiLux 3665 (17,287)3. Ford Falcon 3258 (13,349)4. Mazda3 2901 (16,155)5. Toyota Corolla 2796 (14,933)6. Holden Cruze 2484 (11,416)'7. Hyundai i30 2385 (13,588)8. Mitsubishi Lancer 2368 (10,129)9. Nissan Navara 1972 (8731)10. Toyota Camry 1966 (9088)11. Hyundai Getz 1957 (9629)12, Subaru Impreza 1597 (5253)13. Toyota Prado 1575 (7488)14. Mitsubishi Triton 1552 (6524)

An all-new transmission - SKY-Drive - is under development in Japan and will be suitable for use in everything from the Mazda3 to CX-9 with diesel power.  It is part of the company's SKY development program, which is spearheaded by a 2-litre petrol engine intended to deliver a 15 per cent improvement to both torque and fuel efficiency.The first look at the SKY program came at last year's Tokyo Motor Show, where a 1.3- litre SKY engine was fitted to its Kiyora concept car.  A SKY-D engine is also on the way, according to Mazda's Masazumi Wakayama, for use in the next-generation CX all-wheel drives and the mid-sized Mazda6.The transmission for the Sky engines is an all-new auto with a five per cent efficiency improvement, although few other details are available. No-one at Mazda will discuss the number of ratios, the possible use of constantly-variable technology, or a euro-style twin-clutch deive system.  But the SKY-Drive automatic is set for introduction and its potential for diesel use is obvious."Thee SKY-G petrol engine is coming in 2011 with SKY-Drive automatic transmission," says Steve Maciver of Mazda Australia.  "The diesel is being developed to work with that transmission, but we haven't confirmed when it's coming. We haven't actually been given a date from Japan.  We're keen to get it as soon as we can. We recognise there is a demand there from customers and we're keen to satisfy that demand." The transmission is expected to cope with up to 400 Newton-metres of torque, which means it should easily work with the CX-9 at the top end and - since the CX models are all-wheel drive without a centre transfer case or crawler gears - and also with the Mazda3 and Mazda6 passenger car layouts.  "We believe the transmission is being developed on several models,"  Maciver says.

But even if not a sure thing, you wouldn’t bet big against it.  Within days of the traumatic three-car incident that smashed both a fair amount of the screaming Mazda RX-8 SP competing in this year’s rally – and any hopes of the car finishing  –  Mazda Motorsport’s formidable boss, Allan Horsley, had begun to think not of what might have been (that would be challenging the eventual winning Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo Strada), but what will be…In the wake of that trauma, Horsley’s team directed its full focus into Mazda’s second entry, the Mazda3 MPS driven by Brendan Reeves and navigated by his sister Rhianon Smyth. In this they achieved second in the Showroom class and a little less than astonishing ninth overall. Not only was it the fastest front-wheel-drive, it licked Porsches, Evos, WRXs and an Audi TT-RS.No mean feat over five days, 40 stages and 2000km of competitive driving in often appallingly, all too Tasmanian autumn conditions piloting what one of the crew wryly described as a “turbo, front drive shopping trolley”.“For those people who think that a two-wheel drive can’t perform in the wet, just look at Brendan and Rhianon’s result,” said Horsley, a figure of local motor racing legend, who has never been constrained by convention. “With the best car, the best crew and the best team behind them – anything is possible.”The “best car” in the entire Targa, Mazda would argue, was not the weepingly expensive Lambo, though this was the one that captured not only the Targa title, but the hearts and minds of the spectating public.   Going into the third day, the Mazda team confidence that this Targa could be theirs was evident.This Horsley special RX-8’s bantam 1280kg and forced induction rotary engine imbued it with lynx-like agility through Tasmania’s endless twisties into which it was able to brake, according to driver Steve Glenney, some 100 metres later than certain rivals.When the going got straight, however, it couldn’t hope to match the kilometre-crushing Lambo. Already, though, Horsley is onto solutions to extract more in 2011.That engine – or at least its essential ingredients – will be housed in a newly-built RX-8 SP after an incident 11.6km into the Mount Roland leg that made one of the Targa’s most spectacular stages memorable for all the wrong reasons. But for the razor reflexes of Glenney, it might have also have been the site of a tragedy.Pouring into the first bend of a double apex right hander near the peak of the mount – not too far from where Eric Bana memorably came to grief a few years back – Launceston’s Simon Froude struck oil on the road and speared his Porsche 911 into the “cheese grater” steel cable that stands between competitors and likely oblivion in the form of an almost sheer drop.With the Porsche snagged by the front axle, its nose pointed towards the heavens, the crew of the next car through – David Ayers and Robbie Bolton in their Nismo 400R – halted as per race regulations and rushed to their aid.Then Glenney, with navigator Bernie Webb, poured through at perhaps 160km/h. With a split second to react, Glenney flung the car about and went into back of the Nismo, left three quarters first – a brilliant manoeuvre that surely saved himself and Webb from disaster. But not the RX-8 SP.“It was running beautifully,’’ Webb lamented as we waited for the flatbed to retrieve the shattered Mazda from the mountain road that now seemed even wetter and colder. “We’d had issues, but we’d overcome them. We’re out through no fault of our own.”By race’s end on Sunday afternoon, the Mazda crew, though ebullient over the MPS, knew they’d be back in 2011 to take care of what they clearly regard as unfinished business.Besides, what matters the 19th event when you can win the 20th and bequeath to the buying public an RX-8 SP 20th Targa (very) special edition?  You wouldn’t bet against it.In the meantime, we drivers of keenness, but infinitely less ability, can approximate in street legal form the Mazda Targa experience without access to car manufacturer’s racing budget.Every inch a rival for Volkswagen’s award-winning Golf GTI, the Mazda3 MPS starts from similar money - $38,435 – and packs an output that towers over the VW’s: the Japanese entrant rings 190kW and 380Nm from its turbo-charged four potter, over the German’s 155kW/280Nm.The RX-8, meanwhile, remains the world’s only mass –produced rotary engined car. While the version available to you and I comes without the Motorsport’s turbo-charger, but it does rev past 8000rpm and, from $55,715 (though you really want the $57,778 GT), seems unbelievably reasonable for something unique.

Just as things are calming after Toyota's eight-million-vehicle mistakes in the USA and Europe, Mazda is hit with a 90,000-car recall in Japan and China.Australia has again dodged the recall, which only applies to a specific model of the Mazda3 not sold here, but things are looking tougher for even the world's most-admired brands. "The Mazda3 is not affected in Australia," says company spokesman Steve Maciver. "It's only the 1.6-litre engine, which we do not get here."But Toyota Australia was forced to recall the latest Prius hybrid for tweaking of the braking system; elderly Daihatsus have been recalled - ironically, under the Toyota banner; and Great Wall was forced to recall the first batch of its Chinese twin-cab utes to rectify a seat belt problem.Even Suzuki, which has one of the lowest warranty-claim rates in the country, was forced to recall the baby Alto because of a problem with wiring to the stoplights. Suzuki Australia is still sourcing a replacement stoplamp switch and will contact owners.Then there is Toyota USA, which is hit with another cloud over the Lexus GS460. It's a heavyweight SUV which is built up from the Prado and, thanks to an unsafe rating by the influential magazine 'Consumer Reports', sales have been stopped while the company conducts safety tests. It is responding to claims the car can develop a tail slide, leading to a rollover, in an emergency situation. Once again, Toyota Australia is responding with a 'no panic' reply."The Lexus GX460 is not and has never been sold in Australia. Toyota Motor Corporation Japan has advised us that Prado is not affected by the sales stop. It has a smaller engine and significantly less weight overall, particularly over the front wheels, says Toyota and Lexus spokesman, Mike Breen. Toyota is even putting a positive spin on the Lexus development."This is firm evidence of Toyota’s stated intention to respond even more quickly to ensure quality and customer satisfaction. It shows that Toyota is taking the matter seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue that was identified," Breen says. "Having done that, Toyota Motor Corporation has adopted its normal approach of conducting further tests on other SUVs. These vehicles have already undergone extensive testing and Toyota is confident they meet its high safety standards. Toyota is therefore conducting these tests as an additional measure to ensure customer confidence."And it's not just cheap-and-cheerful car brands that get caught up in recalls. Ferrari is also suffering after recalling more than 2000 of its F355 model fitted with a single fuel pump system and sold in the 1990s. Ferrari says it will be contacting known owners so their cars can be checked for a problem with the fuel system pipes.Porsche, meanwhile, plans to recall 152 of its all-new Panamera flagship, which sells from $270,000 to $365,000. They have to be checked for faulty seatbelt mounting points.