Mazda 6 News

This weekend is shaping as a good one to buy a new car, as three of the four top-selling brands hold sales events.

New-car sales hit the accelerator for the second month in a row after the best March result of all time - but former Australian favourites Holden and Ford hit a wall.

Last week’s column about reversing cameras sparked plenty of healthy debate. Some readers agree with Mazda boss Martin Benders that reversing cameras aren’t a silver bullet, while others see them as a potential lifesaver.A silver bullet does exist.Almost five years ago, I attended a Nissan safety briefing in Japan where the company told media it was looking at developing technology that could slam on a car’s brakes if it detected anything in its path when the car was reversing.Emergency braking feature for reversing is still not commonplaceNissan engineering director Masao Fukushima said the technology would be relatively quick and inexpensive to develop as it used existing features such as parking sensors and blind-spot radar.But despite huge advances in safety tech, an emergency braking feature for reversing is still not commonplace, even on luxury vehicles.We have auto braking that can stop a car moving forward at low speed and there are even cruise control setups that can brake in an emergency.Mazda is the only mainstream maker to have a reversing emergency brake featureIronically, Mazda is the only mainstream maker to have a reversing emergency brake feature — available on its top-of-the-line Mazda6 sedan. The Infiniti Q50 also has it.But in Australia, it’s been left to a Brisbane aftermarket company to develop a solution. The Reverse Alert sells for about $1500 installed.The company is preparing to list on the stock exchange. It envisages the technology being used on forklifts, building sites — and, of course, the home driveway. It is estimated one child a week is reversed over.

The handbrake got stuck on new cars in January, with sales dipping despite record low interest rates, end-of-year clearance deals and the removal of import tariffs on Japanese vehicles.

After debuting the new Mazda6 at the LA motor show last year, and coming less than a year after it's last update, Mazda have confirmed local specifications and pricing for the 2015 model.The new Mazda6 receives price cuts across most models  - following the Free Trade Agreement signed between Australia and Japan recently - with the starting price lowered by $920 for the Mazda6 Sport sedan which now kicks off at $32,540.Mid-spec Touring (priced from $37,280), GT ($42,720) and top-level Atenza ($46,420) trim levels fill out the range, with all four available in either sedan or wagon bodystyles.The updates to the Mazda6 focus on improving safety and cabin comfort, mirroring the updates made to the CX-5 SUV last month.Also like the CX-5, the 2015 Mazda6 maintains its drivetrain options from the previous model in the form of 138kW/250Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol and 129kW/420Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engines, paired to a six-speed automatic transmission.Mazda's MZD Connect multimedia system (seen in the Mazda3, Mazda2 and now the CX-5) and its seven-inch touchscreen interface is added across the range. Sport models feature six-speaker sound, while Touring, GT and Atenza models have an 11-speaker Bose system.GT and Atenza models receive 'Active Driving Display', a heads-up display above the dashboard that shows speed, navigation directions and other vehicle information.The Mazda6's autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system has been improved to work when the car is reversing, as well as going forwards. It is available as part of a factory-fitted 'Safety Pack' on Touring and GT models, while included as standard on the Atenza.The Atenza also receives adaptive LED headlights, lane keep assist and driver fatigue monitoring as part of the 2015 updates.The 'Safety Pack' features introduced in last year's update (blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, forward AEB and auto-dimming rear view mirrors) continue for the 2015 model.Externally, Mazda continues to evolve their 'Kodo' design language by tweaking the styling of the Mazda6's front and rear. Wheel designs have also been updated for both the Sport and Touring's 17-inch steel wheels and the 19-inch alloys of the GT and Atenza models.

The import tariff on Japanese and South Korean cars will be completely removed from January 15 - bringing potential price cuts to almost half of all cars imported into Australia.However, the industry has warned buyers not to expect massive savings - cuts will be most likely between $250 and $1000 - because the 5 per cent tariff was on the landed cost of the car, not the higher recommended retail price.Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb claims there will be savings of up to $7630 on some Toyotas as 'an example of the real impact that families will see from these agreements ... for Toyota's biggest-selling models".Don't get too excited. Toyota's biggest-selling model, the Corolla, drops by between $500 and $1050.Don't get too excited. Toyota's biggest-selling model, the Corolla, drops by between $500 and $1050.The $7630 applies to the Prado Kakadu, which drops from $92,120 to $84,490. But only part of the price cut is due to the 5 per cent duty reduction.A Toyota spokesman says 'in some cases we've passed on more than the duty saving".Japanese brands Mazda and Subaru also trimmed prices but don't expect similar savings on South Korean-made vehicles sold by Holden, Kia or Hyundai, as all three have resisted moves to follow suit.Kia spokesman Kevin Hepworth says the company will scrap price increases it had planned for January and look at adding features. 'As new models arrive they may have additional equipment," he says.Hyundai will introduce extra equipment but the currency gap between the Korean won and the yen will make it more difficult to introduce significant savings. So far, Holden has also resisted price cuts on the Korean-made Captiva, Barina, Cruze wagon and Malibu.The Japanese Free Trade Agreement due to come into effect on January 15 follows the deal with South Korea from December 15.The deals are estimated to affect about 460,000 cars this year;. Toyota alone expects the changes will make about 100,000 of its cars cheaper.'Traditionally Toyota would have implemented the price reductions at the same time as the cuts to import duty start to apply," says Toyota sales and marketing chief Tony Cramb.'Instead, with the support of our dealers, Toyota has brought forward these price cuts to the start of the year." Three low-volume cars also will gain extra equipment.Some cars with Japanese and South Korean badges will have no new savings because they are made in countries such as Thailand (which signed free trade agreements with Australia in 2005), the US (agreements signed in 2010) or India (which has no agreement with Australia).Price cuts are expected on the Japanese-built Toyota Yaris, Prius and Corolla hatch, among other models. But prices will remain steady for the Corolla sedan and HiLux built from Thailand and the Kluger SUV manufactured in the US because of the existing deals.Mazda has trimmed prices on all Mazda3, Mazda6, CX-5 and CX-9 vehicles, from $268 to $963 on vehicles which range in price from $20,000 to $50,000. But its cheapest car, the Mazda2, and the BT-50 ute will not get price cuts as they come from Thailand.Likewise most Hondas sold in Australia today come from Thailand. Meanwhile Subaru cut prices of some models by between $500 and $1000. The car industry has warned buyers that exchange rate fluctuations have had a bigger impact on prices than the tariff.'The Australian dollar has moved by 60 per cent over the past 10 years but car prices have remained relatively stable," says one industry insider.'Car makers ride the currency wave, plus you have the impact of the devalued Japanese yen. That has a bigger impact on (pricing) than the removal of the tariff." 

Last year the vehicle market notched up a record with 1,136,227 sales, busting the previous zenith by about 24,000 and confirming that in Australia, one million-plus is the norm.Figures for November, released last week, show sales have already passed the million mark, and when the final tally emerges in early January the industry will congratulate itself on another bumper year.In reality, it has spent most of 2014 in reverse and it would take a freak December to even approach last year's total.If the trend holds, then the overall decline will be about 2 per cent - equivalent to 500 fewer buyers a week. But it's a mixed picture for the 50 or so brands, with the gap between winners and losers larger than ever.With one or two exceptions, the winners by a substantial margin are luxury brands. Their share of the market now approaches 9 per cent, up from 7.7 per cent last year, and it's reflected in some impressive numbers.The German luxury trio dominates but Australia bucks the trend by favouring Mercedes-Benz ahead of BMW and Audi.With its small car range - the A, B, CLA and GLA - flying out of showrooms, the three-pointed star is stretching its lead over BMW and rubs it in by selling more of its expensive performance variants as well.Its bestseller, the C-Class, has been available for only a few months but will finish the year as the third most popular mid-size car at any price - behind only the Toyota Camry and Mazda6.Audi's ambition is to overtake its German peers and become No 1 here, replicating its position in Europe and China. After slowing in 2012, its growth spurt has resumed and it's catching BMW on the strength of its award-winning A3 small car.Some of the second-tier luxury brands are powering ahead even faster. Thanks to its new-generation Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, demand for the British SUV specialist is up 22 per cent. It will finish as the fourth most popular luxury marque.Ironically, SUV demand is also powering Porsche. It cannot get enough of its second SUV, the Macan, and waiting times are stretching the patience of buyers. Without the Macan, Porsche was on track for a record. With it, sales are up almost 50 per cent. When Maserati adds an SUV, the Levante, in 2016 it can expect to get a comparable boost.Super-large, super-expensive SUVs are what the elite badges lack but they are all working on one. Even so, Maserati's push for volume is yielding results. The new-generation large sedans Ghibli and Quattroporte have almost tripled sales this year.Even among the luxury brands there are losers. Volvo lacks the deep pockets of the Germans and is struggling to keep its product pipeline full. Its dealers will doubtless breathe easier when the overdue replacement for its XC90 SUV arrives in the second quarter next year, with sales down 7 per cent in 2014.Lexus is another that has waited too long for fresh product and its NX mid-size SUV arrives too late to prevent it treading water.Among mainstream brands, losers are much easier to find than winners. Over-optimism and the pressure to grow meant many ended 2013 carrying too much stock, with Nissan the standout - but far from sole - example.The traditional solution to this problem, and one by no means limited to mainstream brands, is for the distributor and/or dealers to register cars themselves.It's a way of meeting sales targets but it simply saves up trouble, not the least of which is an excess of ageing 'demonstrator' models that sooner or later have to actually be sold. When they are, the sales have already been counted.Combine that with an assault on their traditional territory by the luxury brands and everyone from Toyota to Honda, Holden to Ford, has seen their numbers go south.But the biggest losers in 2014? Cheap Chinese brands, with Chery sales down 35 per cent and Great Wall almost 60 per cent.

Mazda unveils updated Mazda 6 and CX-5 models with new safety and cabin features at LA motor show.The Mazda6 and CX-5 SUV models have been updated for 2015, with the changes focusing on improving safety and increasing cabin refinement ahead of a 2015 release.Safety improvements include the availability of adaptive LED headlights and driver fatigue monitoring, as well as adaptive cruise control being added to the CX-5 spec list for the first time.In the cabin, both models also gain Mazda's MZD multimedia system - already found in the Mazda2 and Mazda3 - and the Mazda6 will also gain a heads-up display.Externally, both the Mazda6 and CX-5 sport revised front and rear styling and wheel designs as Mazda continues to evolve the 'Kodo' design language.Exact local specifications and pricing are yet to be confirmed, although Mazda has said that the global engine and transmission options of the current Mazda6 and CX-5 models will remain unchanged.The new Mazda6 and CX-5 will be available in Japan and the US from January 2015 before an expected local debut in the first half of the year.

The Mazda 6's safety has been enhanced with the availability of new i-ACTIVSENSE technology across the entire range and a new colour option gives the Mazda 6 more choice.

Mazda has issued the safety recall for a problem with the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), which can malfunction if too much water enters the engine bay, and stop charging the battery -- allowing the car to run out of power.The recall notice is for approximately 9000 Mazda6 models in Australia, covering sedan and wagon, petrol and diesel models built between 29 November 2012 and 7 April 2014.If the problem occurs, it will activate the 'Charging system warning' light and drivers will see the message 'Charging System Malfunction' on the instrument panel. If they continue to drive the car, the battery will drain, with the car losing essential functions and eventually stalling."It's a risk of happening when the vehicle is being driven through very wet weather or very deep puddles," Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver says. "What can happen is the generator belt can slip because of water in the engine area, which causes the electrical system to think there is an error in the system, and makes it stop charging the car -- which can then run out of charge and stall."Maciver says there have been no accidents or injuries in Australia caused by the defect, and that the rectification should be a simple and quick one. "The fix is a very simple software upgrade, in which the PCM is updated," he says. "How long the dealers will need each car is down to their scheduling, but the update is a fairly quick task.""We're contacting all the owners, and asking them to arrange an appointment with their nearest dealer.' Concerned owners can obtain more information from Mazda Customer Support on 1800 034 411.