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July 20, 2005
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This Week:

• Volvo Releases Official Photos of the All-New Volvo C70

• Porsche achieves all-time registration record in Germany

• The new Mazda6

• Stephen J. Girsky To Join General Motors As Special Advisor

• Port of Benicia Named Toyota's Third West Coast Port of Entry

• New Kelley Blue Book Study Shows Consumers Concerned About Current Hybrids

• More than 1,200 Jeep Owners Gather in Southern France for Largest Ever Euro Camp Jeep®

• ZF Opens 15th Plant in China

• Toyota to Expand in Canada; First New Site for Auto Assembly Plant in Canada in Almost 20 Years

• The New Jaguar XJ 2.7 Diesel

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Results of a large representative survey among Mazda6 customers conducted by Mazda in 2004 in the five largest European countries revealed that the car's exterior design is the primary criteria for purchase. For this reason, changes to the exterior of the original Mazda6, which has hardly aged over the last 3 years, are limited to rather subtle modifications. Among these are a grille that is now more deeply recessed and flatter with a honeycomb mesh pattern that replaces the diamond mesh of the outgoing model, dark tinted headlight bezels and tail lamp glass, as well as modified front and rear bumpers. Added to this are new 16, 17 and 18-inch alloy wheels (18-inch optional for the 2.3-litre petrol). Taken together, these design enhancements give the Mazda6 an even more dynamic appearance.

Five refined engines - two derivatives of an MZR-CD 2.0-litre common- rail diesel with DPF, along with three 16-valve MZR petrols with 1.8, 2.0 and 2.3-litre displacement - make up Mazda6 facelift's extensive engine portfolio. All engines offer equal or even more power and torque than their predecessors, with equal or lower combined fuel consumption.

The most powerful engine of the Mazda6 line up is the MZR 2.3-litre four cylinder petrol with 122 kW/166 PS of power at 6,500 rpm and 207 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. This spirited and, with two balancer shafts, low vibration engine propels the Mazda6 sedan to a top speed of 214 km/h while using 8.7 litres of fuel per 100 km.

Two newly-developed transmissions will be launched with the enhanced engines. Six-speed manual transmissions are standard for all models except the 1.8-litre petrol, which will retain the five-speed manual transmission. A five-speed automatic will be available for the 2.0-litre and 2.3-litre petrols, replacing the four-speed automatic of the predecessor.

Mazda6 is Mazda's best-selling model both in Europe and globally

In Europe, the Mazda6 model line up propelled Mazda to levels of success that many thought not possible. While total registrations at Mazda were at 163,000 in 2001, by the end of 2004 they had climbed to more than 265,000. The lion's share of this increase was contributed by the Mazda6, which Mazda registered almost 100,000 times in 2003, the car's first full year on the market, and which represented 43 percent of Mazda's total volume. In 2004, Mazda6 did not lose much of its popularity. It remained Mazda's best-selling model and achieved a segment share of 5.7 percent with nearly the same volume.

Globally, the company from Hiroshima had produced a total of 790,000 1st generation Mazda6s at its Hofu II plant by the end of May 2005, making the mid-sized model range the number one car in Mazda's product portfolio. It has also been well liked among automobile experts. In 59 countries (including Europe) the Mazda6 or Atenza (Japan) has won over 100 automobile awards to date.

(July 18, 2005)