Mazda CX-5 2012 News

Not content with dominating the passenger car segment with the Mazda3, the Japanese carmaker's new CX-5 compact SUV has been revealed ahead of its official unveiling at the Frankfurt motor show next month. The new crossover wagon - set to arrive in Australia around mid-2012 - will be the first to bring the full range of fuel-efficient Skyactiv engines, the lighter and smarter automatic transmission and lightweight bodyshell technology to Australia. The drivetrain lineup will include the new direct-injection variable-valve two-litre petrol engine and the 2.2-litre turbodiesel, which will be available in Australia with a six-speed manual and the new six-speed automatic. Mazda Australia's Steve Maciver says the company has previously been restricted by the lack a diesel-auto models in its passenger-car and SUV range, but that CX-5 would change that. "One considerable difference will be that we'll have a diesel/auto model, that will be a significant upside for us as well, we're excited about that," he says. The company's new-generation petrol and diesel engine range boast between 15 and 20 per cent better fuel economy thanks to a 20 per cent reduction in internal engine friction, a fuel-saving stop-start system, regenerative braking, lightweight body construction and lower emissions - as low as 120g/km for the front-wheel drive turbodiesel model. Mazda Australia is aiming to make the pricing "competitive" - which should mean a sub-$30,000 entry-level model - but with the availability of features like tyre pressure and lane departure warning systems, automatic headlights and dual-zone climate control. "The CX-5 is similar in size to a Subaru Forester and VW Tiguan, bigger than a Mistubishi ASX, but smaller than a CX-7, but interior space will be similar to the CX-7," he says. The Sports Utility Vehicle Market to the end of June totalled 93,189 vehicles - down 3.9 per cent or just over 4600 vehicles - but the compact segment (the largest of the SUV segments) was up 866 (or 1.5 per cent) to 57,780 sales. Mazda's share of that with the CX-7 sits at 7.3 per cent - or 4236 vehicles - behind the market leader Subaru Forester, the Toyota RAV4, Nissan's X-Trail and Dualis and the Hyundai ix35. "We're excited to get it - CX-7 has done well since the facelift in 2009 ... but we feel there's a lot more potential in the compact SUV market so we hope CX-5 will give us a lift," he says. The new look for the Japanese breed was first seen on the Shinari and Minagi concept cars and gives the new CX-5 what Mazda calls "a prominent new front view with a bolder family face." The CX-5 will sit alongside the updated Mazda3 on the company's Frankfurt stand, the model range which will include the SP20 Skyactiv, equipped with the new-generation engine and transmission - set for launch later this year in Australia.

The good news is that the cars of the future are not boring electric "golf carts" but sleek and sexy machines.Take for example the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, or even the updated Toyota Prius C. Just as smart, but also featuring powertrain technology that is much further down the line, is the Hyundai Blue2 Concept, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, or the Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV with a plug-in hybrid system that extends the use of the vehicle in electric mode.Here is a sample of the green vehicles on the stands at this year’s show:BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept: Making its Australian debut, this is the concept for the coming BMW i8. A conventional 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-diesel mated to a pair of electric motors powers this four-wheel-drive 2+2 sports car. The hybrid combination pumps out 265kW of power and 800Nm of torque, and can run on electric power alone for up to 50km, diesel only for 645km or a combination of both. The lithium-ion battery packs charge in just 2.5 hours from AC mains or 44 minutes on quick charge.Ford: The new Liquefied Phase Injection LPG technology in the Ford Falcon EcoLPi has improved power and torque and decreased fuel consumption (12.5L/100km) and CO2 emissions (203g/km). Ford will also show its long-awaited diesel Territory with a 2.7-litre V6 boasting fuel economy of 8.2L/100km.Holden: The Ecoline Series II Cruze range with a new generation 2.0-litre turbo diesel (5.6L/100km) is Australia’s most fuel-efficient locally-built car. The stand will also feature the Cruze 1.4-litre intelligent turbo induction (1.4 iTi) petrol engine (6.4L/100km manual) and other Ecoline models, including the Commodore E85 flex-fuel and Spark Ignition Direct Injection V6 powered Commodores and Captivas.Honda hybrids: Honda will show the stylish Honda CR-Z coupe petrol-electric hybrid that arrives here later this year, as well as its second-generation Insight hybrid.Hyundai Blue2 Concept: This is the Korean company’s first sedan-style Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) powered by hydrogen. It delivers power of 90kW and fuel economy of 2.8L/100km. Being a concept car, it comes with a host of future electronic aids, such as an automatic opening door system, roof and side cameras to replace mirrors, and a motion sensor-operated infotainment system.Lexus LF-Gh Concept: This concept features the hybrid system already in the Lexus fleet, but is the first time the spindle-shaped grille that will become a feature of future designs will be seen here, and hints at a future grand touring sedan. Lexus Australia chief executive Tony Cramb says the LF-Gh reaffirms that hybrids can be sleek and stylish.Mazda Minagi: This is a crossover concept specifically engineered to be the first with frugal SKYACTIV technology diesel and petrol engines and transmission. The car is an insight into the coming CX-5.Mercedes-Benz C-Class: The range now includes the updated 7G-Tronic Plus seven-speed automatic transmission for improved economy. Diesel models come with the ECO start/stop function as standard, and the C250 diesel coupe boasts economy of 5.1L/100km. At the top end of the Benz range, the S350 diesel BlueTec luxury saloon has economy figures of 7L/100km.Mitsubishi ?i-Miev-based electric vehicle concepts: The i-MiEV is about to hit the showrooms and Mitsubishi already has an SUV variant, which will be on its stand. The Concept PX-MiEV has a plug-in hybrid system with fuel economy better than 2L/100km. It is powered by two permanent magnet synchronous motors and a 1.6-litre MIVEC engine. The PX-MiEV also features Smart Grid technology that allows the battery to power home appliances during a blackout or at peak times when electricity tariffs are high.Nissan Leaf: The all-electric Leaf hits showrooms next year. The World Car of the Year features a satnav system linked to the "Global Data Centre’’ in Japan so you just press a button to find the closest recharging stations.Toyota Prius C concept & Prius V: The latest in the Prius family are a funky coupe concept (C) and a people mover (V). The Prius C concept shows how stylish the Prius can be and the V shows how spacious it can be. The V also features a lightweight-resin panoramic moon roof, weighing about 40 per cent less than a regular glass roof of the same size. It will be the first to feature Toyota’s new Entune multimedia system with mobile internet and Microsoft’s Bing search engine. The system will offer live weather and traffic updates, along with monitoring the best fuel prices in town.Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion: The BlueMotion has the same 1.6-litre engine with the same output at 77kW and 250Nm as the 77TDI, but its fuel use is just 3.8L/100km compared with 5.12L/100km (77TDI) and CO2 of 99g/km (133g/km 77TDI). The gains are made from a lower idle speed, stop/start technology, aerodynamics and low rolling resistance tyres.Volvo V60 diesel plug-in hybrid: The world’s first diesel hybrid plug-in goes into production next year. The driver can choose from three modes: Pure, which is all-electric with a range of up to 50km, Hybrid with an average fuel consumption of 1.9L/100km and CO2 of 49g/km, and Power, which boosts total diesel and electric power to 200kW and 640Nm of torque with acceleration to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds. The turbodiesel drives the front wheels and an electric motor drives the rear axle. It can be recharged via a regular power socket in 4.5 hours on 10A charge.PLUS: There will also be displays by infrastructure companies including Better Place EV, which has announced plans to begin rolling out infrastructure in Canberra this year.

The company has just revealed the latest in its series of swoopy concept cars, called the Kazamai, but in reality it is a clear pointer to a CX-5.