Hasta La Gadget!

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced the five vehicles awarded with its Top Safety Picks+ designation. The awards are based on each vehicle’s performance in crash tests, with the goal being to encourage safer vehicles. This has been successful, with the Institute stating that some automakers have made changes to their vehicles in order to perform better on the tests.

The five awarded vehicles are comprised of Honda‘s 2-door and 4-door Civic, Volvo’s XC60, Ford‘s Lincoln MKZ, and the Mazda6. All but the Mazda6 are 2013 models, with the Mazda6 being the 2014 model. The Institute’s crash test put a quarter of each vehicle’s front end into a 5-foot barrier at a speed of 40mph.

Other tests include rear, rollover, and side tests, as well as one designed to see how the car holds up when the front corner is crashed into a pole or car. The latter is known as the “small overlap test,” with vehicle’s being rated with either a “good” or “acceptable” rating, which is then factored into the ratings of the other tests.

Honda’s Civic stood out among the winners, being the first small car to be bestowed with the Top Safety Pick+ award. The car underwent “significant” changes and upgrades to its front end in order to improve its rating on the small overlap test. In addition, Volvo also made changes to score better on that test, updating its airbag algorithm so the side curtain airbag would be triggered by the impact.

[via Detroit News]

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announces Top Safety Picks+ is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Fiat and Mazda have officially inked the deal which will refettle the MX-5 (aka the Miata) as Alfa Romeo’s next open-top sports car, expected to hit showrooms in 2015. The agreement [pdf link] was first mooted back in May 2012, and will see the as-yet-unnamed Alfa Romeo droptop eventually go on sale globally; meanwhile, Mazda will also offer its own version of the car, the next-gen MX-5.

Although the two cars “will be based on the architecture” of Mazda’s new Miata model, there will be some key differences in what ends up on sale. Beyond the differentiated styling – unconfirmed, though we’re hoping Alfa Romeo doesn’t stray too far from the delectable 2010 2uettottanta concept by Pininfarina, shown here, although we wouldn’t argue with a convertible version of last year’s Disco Volante concept either – each marque will slot in their choice of engine.

Both versions will be produced at Mazda’s Hiroshima plant in Japan, and feature rear-wheel drive and two seats. For the Japanese firm, it’s a chance to squeeze as much value as possible out of its new design and manufacturing investment, vital if the compact droptop is to be financially viable.

For Fiat, meanwhile, Alfa Romeo has been struggling for some time, and the deal means producing “a modern interpretation of the classic Alfa Romeo roadster” needn’t be quite so impractical. Initial plans to reintroduce the brand to the US market later this year have been delayed, however, with the Alfa Romeo 4C now not expected to debut in North America until sometime in 2014.

Fiat and Mazda ink new Alfa Romeo/Miata roadster deal for 2015 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I’ve been an avid road racer for years now and I can tell you from experience, it’s not a cheap hobby. A racecar can cost you tens of thousands of dollars to begin with and then maintenance and upkeep for consumables like tires, brakes, and other miscellaneous bits can cost you that much or more over a couple seasons of racing. Mazda knows how expensive racing can be and has unveiled a new factory racecar in an attempt to make racing more affordable for us normal folk.

The racecar is the Mazda2 B-Spec and the car fits into the showroom stock racing level. Mazda says that the B-Spec is “showroom stock racing at the most basic level.” You can’t expect to take one of these little B-Spec cars to the track and beat the Mustangs or Corvettes in a straight line. However, a good driver can torment those faster cars, bringing a grin to their face and those watching from the grandstands.

Mazda says that it sells the B-Spec “kit” for $2575. Mazda doesn’t exactly say what that kit includes, but it’s likely packed with things like stickers for the series and maybe some suspension goodies. Mazda sells a similar kit for Spec Miata racing. Other than the $2500 kit, the driver will obviously need the basic car and safety equipment.

Mazda figures starting with a used Mazda2, a racer could be ready to hit the track for about $15,000. A racer who doesn’t have the time to turn wrenches themselves can buy a car ready to race from a prep company for about $25,000. That sounds like a lot of money, but in the racecar world is actually pretty cheap. Mazda is also piling some contingency cash into the series offering a driver winning a SCCA or NASA National Championship $5000 and shot at driving in the Mazda Club Racer Shootout worth $75,000.

Mazda2 B-Spec racecar unveiled is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There has been a huge amount of news over the last few months centering on the Mazda MX-5 Miata sports car that’s been around since the 1990s. We’ve seen a number of special editions and even some renderings of what a completely redesigned 2014 model might look like. The 2013 version of the Mazda MX-5 has gone official with its launch in Japan.

The 2013 version of the venerable roadster brings a refreshed front end and a couple mild performance tweaks. Mazda also fitted the car with a new pedestrian safety feature. It’s not clear at this point if the US version of the MX-5 will get the same facelift or when we might see it in the states, presumably the two cars will be virtually identical. The refresh brings a new front fascia with a larger grill.

Versions of the car fitted with the power-retracting hardtop will get 17-inch wheels, and a new color called Dolphin Gray Mica replaces the previous Metropolitan Gray Mica. The car also now gets a tan interior color option for the leather seats. Mazda tweaked the engine computer on manual transmission cars provide more linear throttle response. The brake booster was also modified to increase brake modulation performance.

Mazda also trimmed some poundage off the car as well. The new safety feature causes the rear edge of the car’s hood to pop up slightly when the vehicle senses of frontal impact under certain conditions to help reduce injury to pedestrians. That slight pop up of the hood creates more space between the hood and engine components to reduce the risk of pedestrian injury.

[via MotorTrend]

Refreshed 2013 Mazda MX-5 launches Japan is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.