Mazda Awards Scholarships For 2013 YFU Japan Program

The Mazda Foundation is pleased to announce the six recipients of the Mazda scholarships to the 2013 Youth For Understanding (YFU) international high school exchange program in Japan. The scholarship winners will spend six weeks this summer living with host families near Mazda's worldwide headquarters in Hiroshima.

The following sons and daughters of MNAO and Mazda Dealer employees received scholarships:

Samuel Fields
Nate Sookwongse
MNAO
MNAO
Bollingbrook, Illinois
Buena Park, California

Brandon Rothweiler
Shawn Woleslagle
MNAO
Drivers Village Burdick Mazda
Fiskdale, Massachusetts
Liverpool, New York

In addition, two national winners received scholarships:

Alaisa Cowherd
Luis Gruber
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Weston, Florida

Since 1984, The Mazda Foundation has funded Youth for Understanding (YFU) in order to promote cross-cultural understanding between America and Japan. The YFU scholarship from the Mazda Foundation, which is valued at $9,895.00, provides round-trip domestic and international air travel, placement with a specially selected host family in Japan for six weeks, a pre-departure orientation and support services provided by YFU in Japan and the U.S.

This year's select group of students will join the more than 250,000 young people who have participated in an exchange program with YFU.

The program begins at the University of California, Berkeley, with a three-day pre-departure orientation, which emphasizes Japanese language, culture and etiquette. Students then fly to Japan, where they learn about Japanese culture by living with Japanese host families, participating in local activities, visiting schools and one-on-one interaction with their host families. The students' Japan experience will culminate with a visit to Mazda's Headquarters in Hiroshima where they will have the opportunity to meet with Mazda Motor Corporation engineers and designers.

The Mazda Foundation is proud to be able to provide this truly unique opportunity to such a diverse group of high school students.


Courtesy of House of Japan

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2013 Mazda3

Conviction. Creativity. Courage. They're what inspired Laird Hamilton to devise a simple-yet-ingenious way to catch monster waves and change the sport forever. And what led us to engineer the 2013 Mazda3 with a powerful, fuel-efficient SKYACTV-G engine for an impressive EPA-estimated 40 highway MPG. This is the Mazda Way, and this is the Mazda3.

Thank you to Hugo for this outstanding and thoughtful review of our dealership!

"We stopped at Tracy Mazda. At Tracy Mazda, we met Michael Hallsted. Warm fella'. During the test-drive, my girls immediately appreciated the difference in interior quality, cargo space professional grade of this vehicle. On our way back to the showroom I explained to Michael, that I had spotted a vehicle at the Dublin store with the proper specs, but had felt awkward there. He explained to me that both store belong to the same owner and that the policy is to take care of the customers. We sat down and I gave him the papers I had worked on with Michael B. at Dublin. Michael H. was very courteous and personable. While we discussed price, option, experience, and other things of life my two young daughters were playing "out-run" on the car simulation console. The environment is really pleasant. The few hours we spent wrapping things up were surprisingly agreeable. By the end of the day, we bought this beautiful Mazda and came home knowing we were treated kindly and fairly. I came back to pick up the car the next day, and Michael H. had filled up with a full tank of gas.

In summary, shopping for the perfect car for our family was really hard, and most dealers don't want to give you any quote or negotiate any deal. The salesman on the floor is put in a position where he has to proxy the offer to the sales manager, so he plays ping-pong on any offer. This process is really stressful for the consumer, and unless you are a savvy buyer, you are always left with the feeling that you've been taken advantage of.  At Tracy Mazda, this was the opposite. I felt respected and gave them my business. I would certainly consider coming back and take advantage of the loyalty discount for my next Mazda. Thank you Michael H  !" -Hugo

For more great Yelp reviews, click here: http://bit.ly/155Ys9p

Mazda reveals new 'Game Changers' advertising campaign

Looking to highlight its unique and sporty mindset, Mazda is getting ready to launch its biggest advertising campaign since "Zoom-Zoom" became its tagline in 2000. The new campaign, entitled "Game Changers," will begin in May, and rather than focusing on its sporty past – like it did with Zoom-Zoom early on – the new ads will look at recent advancements made in building its future, including Skyactiv technologies and its new diesel race program, both of which involve its excellent new Mazda6 sedan.

As a part of the ads, Mazda will showcase game changers from the sporting world, including Dick Fosbury who changed how competitors perform the high jump and Laird Hamilton, who redefined how surfers attacked big waves. It doesn't sound like Zoom-Zoom is going away, but "Game Changers" will definitely feature heavily in the Japanese automaker's marketing moving forward.


Courtesy of Auto Blog 

Car Care Tip of the Week: Keep leather from drying out and cracking!

Leather cars seats are durable and don’t require a lot of maintenance. After a few years, however, the seats can become soiled. Use leather cleaner to remove dirt and stains. Then apply a leather protectant formulated for pigmented or top-coated grain leather (the leather used for most leather car upholstery). Protectants will resist stains and make the upholstery easier to clean in the future. Choose a protectant that includes conditioners to keep your leather supple.

With the Mazda6, you can get fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance and style.

Car Care Tip of the Week: Set A Schedule To Clean Out Your Car

If you keep telling yourself you’ll empty your car of various unnecessary items (the blanket for the picnic two Saturdays ago, perhaps?), you might find it’s still there in three months. Set a simple schedule. Really simple. Like, “I’ll straighten up my car every Friday and wash it Saturday morning.” This method truly works wonders.

This is the Mazda3 TV ad featuring the very stylish range of Australia's favorite small car. Enjoy!

  

Car Care Tip of the Week: Clean the floor mats!

If you’re washing your car this week, don’t forget to drag out the floor mats and blast them with the hose. This will dislodge dirt particles that, if allowed to build up, will grind holes in your mats.

Mazda Diesel Sedan Wins Rolex Grand-Am Race

Mazda Motor Corp. said one of its diesel-powered Mazda6 sedans won the Rolex Grand-Am GX race at the Road Atlanta race track. The GX class is a new category in Grand-Am racing in which showroom-style cars compete with relatively few modifications.

GX cars also showcase new technological developments that often make their way into road cars, making the class especially interesting for tech-minded racing fans. Mazda’s win reflects advances across the auto industry that have turned once-sluggish diesel engines into high-performance power plants.

The first-place Mazda was powered by a turbocharged diesel engine based on the one used in the production diesel Mazda6. Mazda said its car is the first diesel to win a Grand-Am event. The #00 car, sponsored by Visit Florida, took first place and a similar Mazda finished in third. Second place went to a Porsche Cayman.

While we don’t typically associate diesel sedans with racing, Mazda was far from an underdog in the Grand-Am event. The company has been developing the Mazda6 racer for years and has a long history of success on the track, from an overall win at the Le Mans 24 Hours race in 1991 to decades of competing with its road cars in numerous Sports Car Club of America classes

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Courtesy of Wall Street Journal Blogs.

See the future today, in the 2014 Mazda6

The Mazda6 combines class-leading EPA-estimated highway fuel efficiency with uncompromised performance. Turning science fiction into science. This is the Mazda Way. And this is the all-new Mazda6.

Car Care Tip of the Week: Lighten up your key chain!

Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? That’s a pretty heavy load hanging off the car key when it’s in the ignition. The weight, combined with bouncing while you drive, can wear out the tumblers inside the ignition and eventually lead to ignition switch failure.

Mazda President and CEO Takashi Yamanouchi Receives Order of the Aztec Eagle Award!

Mazda Motor Corporation announced that Representative Director and Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, Takashi Yamanouchi has been awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle. The order is the highest decoration bestowed upon foreign citizens by the government of the United Mexican States. Mexican President, His Excellency Enrique Peña Nieto, presented the award at a ceremony held today at the Embassy of Mexico in Tokyo.

Takashi Yamanouchi said at the ceremony, "It is a great honor to receive the prestigious Order of the Aztec Eagle award. Mazda's new plant in Mexico is due to start operations in the fourth quarter of fiscal year ending March 2014 and construction is progressing smoothly. Our hope is that the people who will work at the plant will come to understand Mazda's approach to making cars and work for the company with pride. Furthermore, Mazda is fully committed to becoming a good corporate citizen in Mexico and creating opportunities to interact with people in the local community. Moving forward, we will continue our efforts to contribute to the economic growth of both Mexico and Japan and further strengthen the amicable relationship between the two countries."

Mazda entered the Mexican market in 2005 and sold 25,454 vehicles in the country in 2012, giving it a market share of 2.6 percent. Total sales of Mazda vehicles in Mexico had reached approximately 150,000 units as of February 2013. The plant currently under construction in Mexico will be one of Mazda's major production facilities and will produce the Mazda2 (Mazda Demio in Japan), Mazda3 (Mazda Axela) among other models. At the start of operations production capacity will be 140,000 units per year. This will be increased to 230,000 units annually in the fiscal year ending March 2016.

Courtesy of:  Mazda USA Media

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Purchase 4 tires now through June 30th and receive FREE tire rotations for LIFE! Click here to print your coupon now: http://bit.ly/QPRHTV

2014 Mazda CX-5 2.5 - More Displacement Means More Power

Absolute power may corrupt absolutely, but a little more of it never hurt. In fact, sometimes it can be a big help. Case in point: Mazda’s CX-5. Since its debut as a 2013 model, the CX-5 has impressed us with its styling, assembly, comfort, utility, fuel economy, and, in particular, its dynamics. We’ve characterized that aspect of this compact crossover’s persona as “compelling,” and it helped the utelet to a comparison test victory over five other small SUVs.

Power vs. MPG

The CX-5 was the first full manifestation of Mazda’s so-called Skyactiv Technology, a holistic approach to design focusing on weight reduction, efficiency, and mpg. Power is supplied by a new 2.0-liter DOHC direct-injected aluminum four, and there isn’t a whole lot of it: 155 horsepower, 150 lb-ft of torque.

Hitched to a 3500-pound crossover with a six-speed automatic, this yields very good fuel-economy ratings from the EPA—25 mpg city/31 highway with all-wheel drive—but acceleration is 0-to-60 mph in 9.2 seconds and a quarter-mile sprint in 17.1 at 81 according to our instrumented test runs.

The engineering challenge: pare seconds off those dismal times without excessive mpg sacrifice. The answer: a new 2.5-liter four for the CX-5’s top two trims, one shared with the new Mazda 6 sedan. This one offers 184 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque.

An undersquare design (89-mm bore, 100-mm stroke), the new 2.5 has some interesting engineering details. Its compression ratio is race-engine high at 13:1, but as with the 2.0-liter four, the 2.5 operates on regular unleaded fuel. Also, as a member of the new Skyactiv G engine family, it’s assembled on a line that can accommodate four-cylinder engines that can range from 1.3 to 2.5 liters. What makes this unusual is that the bore centers differ slightly from one displacement to another.

Price and Payoff

Based on a half-day drive in the Texas hill country around Austin, it seems as if the Mazda powertrain team has hit its marks. We estimate 0-to-60 times for 2.5 AWD models in the 8.3–8.4-second range—a nice improvement over the 2.0. And in the real world, it amplifies the CX-5’s exemplary responses, enhancing corner exits, reducing passing exposure time on two-lane roads, and lending more verve in the daily stoplight derby. Just as important, the 2.5 maintains EPA fuel-economy ratings near the top of this class: 25 city/32 highway with front-wheel drive and with 24/30 with all-wheel drive.

In addition to the 2.5-liter four, the 2014 CX-5 receives a number of small detail and equipment updates. Most significant among these is the new Smart City Brake Support (SCBS), which uses laser technology to monitor closing rates and ultimately prevent low-speed (up to 19 mph) collisions by applying the brakes should the driver fail to respond to system warnings.

We can say that the added power that comes with the new 2.5 makes the CX-5’s acceleration consistent with its other dynamic traits. Which adds up to a much more satisfying CX-5. 


Courtesy of Car and Driver

Car Care Tip of the Week: Freshen up!

To rid of stale odors from the ventilation ducts, try spraying odor eliminator into the system's air intake, which is usually located at the base of the windshield. Then run the air conditioner full blast for at least 10 minutes.

It's WALLPAPER WEDNESDAY!

Download this sweet picture of the Mazda Furai Concept car and set it as your background to impress the people creepin' on your screen at work!

Thanks to Ashley for leaving us this 5-star review!

"Just bought my 2013 Mazda 3 last Friday from Michael!! Love him an love my car!!! Thank you soooooo much guys!!!" -Ashley T.

For more great reviews, click here: http://bit.ly/WvKVDH

Mazda CX-9 Video Review

James Riswick gives you the pros and cons of the Mazda CX-9, along with insight on pricing, safety, and fuel economy.