Making a big splash into summer, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) reported a sizzling 32.8 percent sales increase for June 2010, with 18,238 vehicles sold. Through the first half of the year, MNAO has sold 115,719 vehicles and is outpacing last year’s sales at this time by 15.3 percent, up 16.0 percent on a DSR basis (151 selling days thus far in 2010, compared to 152 in 2009).

Nearly every Mazda model posted substantial sales increases for June. The MAZDA6 mid-size sedan led the way with June sales up 84.2 percent (3,388 units sold). As fiscal uncertainty continues, the all-new, very affordable, 2010 MAZDA3 reported sales up 29.0 percent with 8,555 units sold. And as the summer heats up, so did MX-5 sales in June, with 638 units sold representing a 24.4 percent increase.

Mazda’s successful crossover SUVs, CX-7 and CX-9, both reported increased sales in June. CX-7 reported a June sales increase of 70.3 percent (2,107 units sold) and CX-9 reported its best June sales ever, with 2,115 units sold, up 34.9 percent.

Rounding out the North American market, Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) posted its best June sales ever with a 57 percent increase versus June 2009, with 1,859 units sold. This boosts MMdM’s year-to-date sales to 11,044, accounting for an increase of 23 percent versus the same period last year.

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary in the United States in 2010, Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario; and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) announced the launch of a NEW Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program designed to maximize the value of a pre-owned Mazda, ease customers’ pre-owned vehicle buying experience and lower customers’ cost of ownership. Under the program, Mazda dealers will follow a rigorous multi-point inspection and reconditioning program to ensure that Certified vehicles are as close to the quality of a new car as possible, and Mazda will offer warranty protection over and above any existing factory warranty.

All 2006-2010 Mazda cars, SUVs and trucks with less than 60,000 miles are eligible for the program, as long as they meet the rigorous standards for quality.

“Mazda’s new Certified Pre-Owned program is designed expressly to make the process easy and affordable for customers shopping for a high-quality pre-owned vehicle,” said Ron Stettner, VP, Sales, for MNAO. “As Mazda was recently recognized by ALG for holding one of the highest residual values in the industry, our new CPO program allows us to provide a never-before-offered level of warranty security that goes with the value for money already packaged into every new Mazda.”

CPO vehicles will be identified on dealers’ lots by point-of-sale materials which will outline the warranty details and program benefits. Every Mazda CPO vehicle will offer either the remaining balance of the factory warranty or an additional 12-month/12,000-mile comprehensive warranty, as well as a seven-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. As with all new-car Mazda warranties, there is no deductible or co-pay for warrantable repairs.

Additionally, all CPO vehicles receive roadside assistance at no extra cost, for the balance of the powertrain warranty period, which covers flat-tire changing, battery-jump, lock-out and fuel delivery. The Mazda CPO program is offered at participating Mazda dealerships in the United States.

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary in North America in 2010, Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario; and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced the appointment of Ron Stettner to the position of Vice President, Sales. Also announced was that Eric Johnston, who previously held that position, will replace Nobuyuki "Nick" Sato as Vice President, Strategic Planning & Market Integration; Sato has been appointed to the newly created position of MNAO Vice President on assignment as Assistant to the President, Mazda Canada, Inc (MCI). These personnel changes will be effective July 1, 2010.

In his previous role as Midwest Regional General Manager, Stettner was responsible for all sales and dealer activities for MNAO in the Midwest Region. His replacement in the Region will be the subject of a future personnel announcement. Stettner will soon be moving his family from Illinois to Southern California.

In his new role at MCI, Sato will report to MNAO's Chief Operating Officer, Keishi Egawa, and the company's president and CEO, Jim O'Sullivan, but will work directly with Don Romano, MNAO's Chief Marketing Officer and MCI's President, on a daily basis. Sato will soon be relocating from Southern California to Toronto, Canada.

"In addition to strong leadership and communication skills exhibited by all three of these very talented individuals, Eric, Ron and Nick will bring to their new positions a combined 60 years of invaluable industry and Mazda operational insight and experience," said O'Sullivan of the changes. "I am counting on this -- and their high levels of energy and enthusiasm -- to help take MNAO to the next level."

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary in North America in 2010, Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario; and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

BEIJING: Ford and Mazda are recalling more than 230,000 vehicles made by their China joint venture to fix a software problem blamed for bouts of engine failure, China's product-safety watchdog said.

The companies are recalling 236,643 Focus cars made between August 2008 and May 28 of this year, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a notice on its website late Monday.

The two carmakers operate a joint venture in China with Changan Automobile, a company based in the southwestern city of Chongqing.

The statement said the carmakers would provide customers with updated engine software free of charge.

Further trouble for Japan's auto industry emerged Thursday as embattled Toyota suspended production and sales of its Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicle and Mazda announced a recall of 90,000 cars.

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, said it would suspend production and worldwide sales of its Lexus GX 460 due to a rollover risk at high-speed, and would protectively conduct safety tests on all its SUVs.

Mazda Motor, which is part owned by US giant Ford, also said Thursday it would recall nearly 90,000 passenger cars domestically and in China due to an oil hose defect.

For Toyota, the move to halt production of the Lexus SUV for nine working days this month and suspend global sales came after US magazine Consumer Reports gave the vehicle a rare "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" rating.

"The company has decided to suspend the SUV's sales worldwide, which means also in Russia and Middle East after North America," said Toyota spokeswoman Mieko Iwasaki, before the company announced it would also suspend production.

Production of the Lexus GX 460 would be suspended at Toyota's Tahara plant in Japan, the only plant in the world that produces the model. Production of other models at the plant would not be affected, the company added.

In the latest blow to the auto giant's reputation, Consumer Reports said that, when pushed to its limits, the rear of the GX "slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control".

Toyota added it will work on identifying potential safety risks in the model which has sold 6,000 units, as well as its other SUVs.

"We are in the middle of analysing what the problem is. Once it becomes clear, the company will decide whether to recall and repair the cars," Iwasaki said. Concerned GX 460 owners will be offered a loan car in the interim.

The automaker will also "start testing all the other SUV models, including the Land Cruiser, Land Cruiser Prado and RAV 4," she said, adding that Toyota will continue to sell those models.

Toyota shares closed down 0.80 percent in Tokyo trade following the announcement.

Mazda, which vies with Mitsubishi for the rank of Japan's number four car maker, said it will start recalling 35,181 units in Japan and around 54,000 in China of the Mazda 3, known as the Axela in Japan, its most popular model.

The company said the cars, produced from January 2006 to March 2009, have been recalled because an oil hose and a radiator shroud panel have been placed too close together and may be damaged by friction when travelling on bumpy terrain, leading to potential leaks.

A company spokesman said Mazda received two complaints, both in China, and stressed that no related accidents had been reported.

The Mazda 3 compact car is widely sold in Japan, China and Europe but the recalled version is not available in the United States, said the company.

No decision had yet been taken if the recall will affect other regions such as the European market, the spokesman said.

The new developments illustrate the challenge for automakers to regain consumer confidence in the wake of Toyota's recall of more than eight million cars worldwide since late 2009, mostly for brake and accelerator issues.

Toyota, which overtook General Motors in 2008 as the world's top seller, has been bedevilled by a series of safety issues that have raised questions about whether it sacrificed its legendary quality to become world number one.

The recalls have caused an outcry in the United States, with Toyota executives hauled over the coals in the US Congress and the company's previously stellar reputation for safety left in tatters.

The automaker has been hit with at least 97 lawsuits seeking damages for injury or death linked to sudden acceleration and 138 class action lawsuits from customers suing to recoup losses in the resale value of Toyota vehicles.

The company faces a record 16.4-million-dollar fine in the United States for its failure to notify authorities quickly about vehicle safety problems.

Mazda Motor Corporation will showcase the China premiere of its next-generation powertrains based on the Mazda SKY Concept at the 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, to be held from Friday, April 23 through Sunday, May 2, 2010. Mazda will exhibit the ‘Mazda SKY-G’ direct injection gasoline engine, the ‘Mazda SKY-D’ clean diesel engine and the ‘Mazda SKY-Drive’ highly-efficient automatic transmission. These all-new powertrains form the base of Mazda’s strategy to improve average fleet-wide fuel economy 30% by 2015 compared to 2008 levels.

Also featured on the Mazda stand will be the Mazda8 minivan*1 (known in Japan as the Mazda MPV). This popular vehicle will be locally produced in conjunction with FAW Car Co., Ltd., one of Mazda’s partners in China. It offers the best of all worlds: refined styling, outstanding driving performance and a premium, functional and comfortable cabin.

Mazda’s stand at the Beijing show will also feature the Mazda Kiyora concept car. Kiyora comes with a number of next-generation eco-friendly technologies, such as the SKY-G engine, and achieves outstanding fuel economy.

Mazda will display a total of 16 vehicles spanning nine model lines, including the Mazda6 Ruiyi (Mazda Atenza) five-door hatchback ahead of its forthcoming sales launch, the Mazda2 (Mazda Demio) and Mazda3 (Mazda Axela).

The 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition’s press days will be April 23 and 24, the trade days will be April 25 and 26, and the public days will be April 27 through May 2, 2010.

The Mazda SKY Concept

Mazda is committed to significantly improving the core aspects of its vehicles that affect performance – engines, transmissions, and lighter vehicle weight – in order to achieve elevated driving pleasure together with outstanding environmental and safety features. The Mazda SKY Concept defines Mazda’s approach to developing next-generation powertrains that will significantly improve the eco-friendliness and dynamic performance of all Mazda vehicles. The SKY Concept embodies Mazda’s desire to ensure an “everlasting blue sky” under which drivers will always be able to enjoy the fun-to-drive pleasure afforded by owning a Mazda. The concept also reflects the “sky’s the limit” aspirations of Mazda’s engineers as they employ unconventional thinking to achieve optimal performance in every vehicle that bears the Mazda nameplate.

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda) have reached an agreement on the supply under license of hybrid technology used in the Toyota Prius.

Leveraging this agreement, Mazda plans to combine the hybrid system with its next-generation SKY* engine that is currently under development, and develop and manufacture a hybrid vehicle in Japan. Mazda is aiming to commence sales of a hybrid vehicle starting in Japan by 2013.

Positioning response to environmental issues as a management priority, TMC began sales of the Prius, the world's first mass-production hybrid vehicle, in 1997. Since then, over 2.3 million TMC-produced hybrid vehicles have been delivered to customers in over 70 countries and regions.

TMC recognizes the importance of benefiting the environment by encouraging the popularization of its eco-friendly technologies, which are represented by its hybrid systems. Accordingly, TMC has announced that it will consider requests from other companies to supply hybrid technology.

Based on its long-term vision for technology development, Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, Mazda aims to increase the average fuel economy of Mazda vehicles sold globally 30 percent by 2015, compared to its 2008 level. In order to offer all of its customers driving pleasure as well as outstanding eco-friendly and safety performance, Mazda is implementing a Building Block Strategy. Under this strategy, Mazda will enhance the core aspects of its vehicles - including engines, transmissions and weight reduction - and then progressively add electric devices such as idling stop, regenerative braking and hybrid systems.

Through this partnership, each company intends to offer technologies and products with outstanding environmental benefits to as many people as possible.

*Concept name for engines and transmissions that are intended for launch from 2011 onward.

Japan's Mazda Motor Corp and US giant Ford Motor Company on Monday denied reports they planned to dismantle or restructure their joint venture in China with Chinese partner Changan Automobile.

Ted Liu, a Shanghai-based spokesman for Ford, told AFP that reports the partnership would be dissolved were "speculation."

Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday that Mazda planned to end its partnership with Ford in China by 2012 to allow itself to independently make decisions such as production increases.

Mazda's spokesman in China, Naodo Oikawa, told AFP the report was "conjecture."

"The three partners -- Mazda, Ford and Changan -- continue to enjoy a positive relationship," he said.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal said Mazda and Ford were discussing ways to split their shared manufacturing bases in the southwestern city of Chongqing and the eastern city of Nanjing into separate entities.

The Wall Street Journal report said Ford and Changan would own and operate the Chongqing site while the Nanjing base would be run by Mazda and Changan. It cited an unidentified person close to Mazda.

AFP calls to Changan went unanswered.

However, Mazda confirmed it would move production of its Mazda 3 compact car from Chongqing to Nanjing, where it already makes its Mazda 2.

Oikawa said Mazda would start to manufacture its Mazda 3 in Nanjing by the middle of this year -- but denied this was part of a restructuring of the three-way venture.

"The reason is to enhance Mazda 3 production and further increase enthusiasm for the CFMA (Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Corporation) brand," Oikawa told AFP.

The move by Mazda was meant to give more production room for Ford in the Chongqing factory, said Mazda's Tokyo-based spokesman Yuji Kato.

Mazda Motor Corporation today delivered the first Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid to Iwatani Corporation, an energy development company based in Japan. The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is Mazda’s latest hydrogen rotary engine (RE) vehicle which uses hydrogen as a fuel and features a unique hybrid system.

The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid can run on both hydrogen and gasoline thanks to a dual-fuel system that was developed for the current RX-8 Hydrogen RE. The addition of a new hybrid system significantly enhances the vehicle’s performance and contributes to its increased hydrogen fuel range of 200 kilometers; double that of the RX-8 Hydrogen RE.

The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is the second hydrogen rotary engine vehicle to be leased to Iwatani Corporation, following an RX-8 Hydrogen RE that was delivered in March 2006. The new model will be used for business purposes at the company’s offices in Western Japan, before being located at the Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration Project’s (JHFC) Kansai Airport Hydrogen Station, where it will be used at the Kansai International Airport in Osaka and for a variety of other purposes.

Akihiro Kashiwagi, Mazda’s program manager in charge of hydrogen RE development, said, “Mazda is delighted to deliver our newest hydrogen rotary engine vehicle to Iwatani, which has been engaged in advancing the further uses of hydrogen energy for many years. Mazda will use the feedback we receive from Iwatani to further improve the performance of hydrogen-fueled rotary engine vehicles as we wish to do our part to achieve a hydrogen energy society in the future.”

Based on its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom plan, Mazda is committed to pursuing harmony between driving pleasure and environmental and safety features. Mazda constantly strives to offer vehicles that “look inviting to drive, are fun to drive, and make you want to drive them again.”

Main specifications of the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid

• Base model: Mazda Premacy
• Overall length: 4,565 mm
• Overall width: 1,745 mm
• Overall height: 1,620 mm
• Engine: Mazda’s hydrogen rotary engine (with dual-fuel system)
• Motor: Alternating current synchronous motor
• Maximum output: 110 kW
• Generator: Alternating current synchronous generator
• Battery: Lithium-ion (Li-ion)
• Seating capacity: Five
• Fuel: Hydrogen and gasoline
• Hydrogen tank: 35 MPa high-pressure tank

History of Mazda’s hydrogen vehicle development

• 1991 Developed first hydrogen rotary engine vehicle, HR-X
• 1992 Conducted test drive of golf cart equipped with fuel cell
• 1993 Developed second hydrogen rotary engine vehicle, HR-X2 Developed MX-5 test vehicle equipped with hydrogen rotary engine
• 1995 Conducted Japan’s first public road tests of a hydrogen rotary engine vehicle, Capella Cargo.
• 1997 Developed Demio FC-EV
• 2001 Developed Premacy FC-EV, conducted first public road test in Japan
• 2003 Announced RX-8 hydrogen rotary engine development
• 2004 Received MLIT approval for public road testing of RX-8 Hydrogen RE
• 2006 Started commercial leasing of RX-8 Hydrogen RE in Japan (eight models have been delivered to date)
• 2007 Signed agreement to provide RX-8 Hydrogen REs to Hynor, a Norwegian national transportation project
• 2008 Commenced public road tests in Norway with RX-8 Hydrogen RE validation vehicle
• 2009 Commenced commercial leasing of Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid in Japan

Hydrogen-powered cars will not be commercially available on a large scale before 2020, a senior official from Japanese auto maker Mazda said Monday in Spain at an international oil conference.

"The earliest that customers will use these environmentally-friendly vehicles in a normal way will be 2020," the general manager of the firm's technical research centre, Tsutomu Matsuoka, said at the World Petroleum Congress in Madrid, one of the oil industry's biggest events.

"We have many things to do before then," he said.

Infrastructure making it possible for drivers of hydrogen-powered cars to refuel must be put in place before the vehicles are widely used, Matsuoka said.

A way to mass produce the cars at an affordable price must also be found before they take off as an alternative to traditional petrol (gasoline) powered vehicles, he added.

Mazda is one of several auto makers working on the development of hydrogen-powered cars amid growing concerns over soaring oil prices and pollution. Electric-powered vehicles are also in the works.

Earlier this month, its rival Japanese manufacturer Honda started the first commercial production of a hydrogen-powered car, a medium-sized four seater called the FCX Clarity which has a top speed of 160 kilometres (100 miles) an hour.

Honda will start leasing the cars, which run on an electric motor powered by hydrogen fuel cells and only emit water vapour as waste, to residents of southern California by the end of August.

The International Energy Agency has said that hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells could play a key role in weaning energy users away from oil, gas and coal which have been blamed for climate change.