2010 Mazda3 Concept: Nope, It’s Not Official, It’s Photoshop...

Some of you may have wondered why we didn’t post anything on the Mazda3 Concept images that took the web by surprise yesterday. To be frank, we had discovered these images during the weekend but we were 99% sure they weren’t official. The only problem was we didn’t know where they came from. Of course, we could have created a nice story hiding the real-facts, but that’s not our style.

Today our hunt down finally paid off as we managed to discover the “culprit”. Turns out that these, rather convincing, pictures of a Mazda3 Concept are the work of "Grif-1", a member of the Russian design site, "Render". If anything else, we’ll give our kudos to Grif-1 for doing a wonderful and quite detailed work on the Mazda3 Concept. Hopefully we’ll hear from him again in the near future. -Continued

Link: Render

2010 Mazda3 Concept: Nope, It’s Not Official, It’s Photoshop...

Mazda Compact SUV Concept Heading for Moscow Show

Mazda has released images of an all-new compact SUV/Crossover concept that will make its debut at the forthcoming Moscow International Automobile Salon that runs from August 29 through September 7. The yet unnamed concept SUV could lead to a production version that would fit right under the CX-7 Crossover. -Continued

The Moscow show car, which follows in the footsteps of the Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki and Furai concept cars, is the latest concept to be developed using Mazda’s new design language called Nagare which means “flow” in Japanese.

The reason why Mazda chose the Moscow Show is because Russia is one of Europe’s fastest-growing markets and is rapidly becoming the region’s largest automobile market. SUVs are particularly popular in Russia, with a segment share of about 20 percent. According to the Japanese carmaker, the concept SUV/Crossover is designed to appeal particularly to younger SUV owners who have a strong sense of style.

Mazda Compact SUV Concept Heading for Moscow Show

Mazda1 Concept: First Official Sketches?

Since Mazda has yet to come out with an official press release, we’re obliged to leave a question mark on whether these sketches of the Mazda1 Concept that appeared on UK website “Autoexpress” are official or not. We don’t know if it means something, but on the left-hand corner, right under the British magazine’s logo there’s another logo (something "-CAR") that has been cropped, but anyways.

The Mazda1 Concept is set to make its first public appearance at the Paris Show this fall and it will give us a preview of Mazda’s all-new mini car that will fit right under the Mazda2 in the Japanese carmaker’s range. The concept mini depicted in these drawings seems to bear many similarities with the Hakaze compact crossover concept that was first shown at last year’s Geneva Auto Salon. -Continued

According to Autoexpress, Peter Birthwhistle, chief designer at Mazda’s European Research and Development Centre, said: “The finished article will be even more radical than the car seen here. It will be aimed at young people and feature the likes of iPod connectivity, sat-nav and Blue- tooth. It will be environmentally friendly, and weigh as little as possible.”

Via: Autoexpress

Mazda1 Concept: First Official Sketches?

Mazda2 Extreme: Rally-Prepped Hatch Makes Melbourne Show Debut

Produced by Mazda Motorsport in Australia, the Mazda2 Extreme is a rally-inspired study that definitely revs up our engine. Based on the five-door version of the Mazda2, the Extreme is equipped with a 1.5-liter engine that is still under development. However, Mazda Motorsport's goal is to increase the car's real world performance by at least 20 percent. The standard car's five-speed manual transmission is unchanged, and, like the production version it is based on, drive is delivered to the ground through the front wheels.

The Mazda2 Extreme’s suspension system has been redesigned by Australian suspension tuning expert, Murray Coote who equipped the rally-prepped study with sports-tuned springs and shock absorbers with purpose-built 15-inch Bridgestone Potenza rally tyres and lightweight Compomotive Motorsport alloy wheels.

In its current form, the Mazda2 Extreme retains its standard braking system. This includes antilock brakes with emergency brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution. -Continued

Inside, the Mazda2 Extreme's cabin features a full PCD roll cage, Italian Sabelt race seats equipped with five-point safety harness, a Momo steering wheel, hydraulic handbrake, fire extinguisher and medical kit.

"This was a surprisingly challenging Extreme car to do," said Mazda Motorsport chief Allan Horsley. "Starting with such an agile car really put the pressure on when it came to improving its real-world abilities."

"I think the result was well worth the effort. This Mazda2 Extreme sits proudly alongside our other Extreme cars like the RX-8 and Mazda3 MPS."

Commenting on the Mazda2 Extreme, Mazda Australia's managing director Doug Dickson said: "Mazda Australia, under the direction of Allan Horsley, has an excellent reputation for pushing the envelope in the design and modification of cars."

"It seemed an obvious decision to unleash the Extreme beast lurking within our Mazda2 five-door hatchback. The Mazda2's popularity with Australian buyers is at an all-time high. This award-winning light car is selling far above our expectations because it looks good, it represents great value for money, and it's an enjoyable car to drive."

Mazda2 Extreme: Rally-Prepped Hatch Makes Melbourne Show Debut

Mazda2 Extreme: Rally-Prepped Hatch Makes Melbourne Show Debut

Produced by Mazda Motorsport in Australia, the Mazda2 Extreme is a rally-inspired study that definitely revs up our engine. Based on the five-door version of the Mazda2, the Extreme is equipped with a 1.5-liter engine that is still under development. However, Mazda Motorsport's goal is to increase the car's real world performance by at least 20 percent. The standard car's five-speed manual transmission is unchanged, and, like the production version it is based on, drive is delivered to the ground through the front wheels.

The Mazda2 Extreme’s suspension system has been redesigned by Australian suspension tuning expert, Murray Coote who equipped the rally-prepped study with sports-tuned springs and shock absorbers with purpose-built 15-inch Bridgestone Potenza rally tyres and lightweight Compomotive Motorsport alloy wheels.

In its current form, the Mazda2 Extreme retains its standard braking system. This includes antilock brakes with emergency brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution. -Continued

Inside, the Mazda2 Extreme's cabin features a full PCD roll cage, Italian Sabelt race seats equipped with five-point safety harness, a Momo steering wheel, hydraulic handbrake, fire extinguisher and medical kit.

"This was a surprisingly challenging Extreme car to do," said Mazda Motorsport chief Allan Horsley. "Starting with such an agile car really put the pressure on when it came to improving its real-world abilities."

"I think the result was well worth the effort. This Mazda2 Extreme sits proudly alongside our other Extreme cars like the RX-8 and Mazda3 MPS."

Commenting on the Mazda2 Extreme, Mazda Australia's managing director Doug Dickson said: "Mazda Australia, under the direction of Allan Horsley, has an excellent reputation for pushing the envelope in the design and modification of cars."

"It seemed an obvious decision to unleash the Extreme beast lurking within our Mazda2 five-door hatchback. The Mazda2's popularity with Australian buyers is at an all-time high. This award-winning light car is selling far above our expectations because it looks good, it represents great value for money, and it's an enjoyable car to drive."

Mazda2 Extreme: Rally-Prepped Hatch Makes Melbourne Show Debut