Mazda Autos may have gone out of Mazda

by

Atikle Grisl

An all-new A-Class debuts in Europe this year with three- and five-door body styles, loads of engine options in petrol and diesel, and sport models. Mercedes is aiming at the premium youth market, and the fresh styling is what you should expect to see on future vehicles from Benz. Unofficial rumors say the the A-Class will debut in the U.S. in AMG guise sometime in 2013.

Read more: Live Pics from the 2012 Geneva Motor Show – Popular Mechanics

The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic has been updated, with the new model achieving impressive fuel intake and emissions figures.

Utilizing a 94bhp 1.6-litre TDCi diesel engine, it consumes fuel at a rate of 85.6mpg (combined) and produces just 87g/km of CO2, its efficiency is a major improvement over the outgoing model, which managed 76.3mpg and emitted 98g/km.

If anything is being spared Mazda s budget-cutting knife, it s the marketing department which is heavily advertising the new technology. The good news for the maker is that U.S. sales are up 48 percent for the first two months of 2012. Product chief Robert Davis noted, during a recent interview, that 60 percent of the initial buyers traded in other brands.

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While an automaker might hope to leverage such a high-tech system to its own advantage, Mazda CEO Takashi Yamanouchi recently acknowledged the maker might have to offer SkyActiv up as a bargaining chip as it actively searches for a partner to replace Ford.

We are considering every option, the executive acknowledged last month.

Part of the problem is that as good as Mazda claims SkyActiv is, the company also concedes it will eventually need to add hybrids to its powertrain line-up due to ever tightening fuel economy mandates in Japan, Europe and the U.S.

It s partner or die, said David Cole, chairman-emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research, in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Mazda has shown a surprising ability to maneuver itself out of trouble over the years, and SkyActiv could be the weapon it needs to battle back. But the situation is tenuous at best, adds Peterson. There is little room for mistakes — or more losses.

Remarkable, although not quite enough to overcome the current supermini economy class leader, the Kia Rio EcoDynamics. Fitted with a 1.1-litre CRDi diesel engine, it emits 85g/km of CO2 and manages 88mpg, but only has 74bhp.

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