Mazda to Offer Diesel Hybrids

Diesel Hybrids May be Released by Mazda

 

We all know Mazda has been working on Diesels for the US market, and that they have already been released in Europe, Australia and other places. We also have seen Mazda’s electric Demios (Mazda 2). Well, now we have just heard from torquenews.com that Mazda might be releasing a Diesel Hybrid.

Mazda hopes to release a vehicle that can hit a greater gas mileage than the Prius C (50mpg) which is the leading seller in Japan (known as the Aqua). Of course, we are doubting that even if this wonder vehicle gets created that we would ever see it in the US, but we can hope. At this point we are still hoping for Mazda to simply release the Diesel CX-5 and Diesel Mazda 6.

SkyActiv Diesel

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Would you trade the extra emissions of a diesel vehicle, for the extra emissions it also produces? If you keep an eye on the current cars that Mazda is racing, we see that the most prominently featured are all diesels. Whether it is the several Mazda 6’s racing with their Skyactiv-D engine, or the Mazda Prototypes #00 and #70 (source) Mazda is definitely focusing on their diesels.

 

Ultimately we know one thing, the Hybrid Diesel won’t be making it to our shores anytime soon, and it’s unlikely it would make it before their standard diesel.

 

 

 

Dear Car Guy – Don’t be a Jerk, Let’s get to Work

Dear Car Guy,

Hoping this finds you well and enjoying the late night rides with your “baby”, feeling the power beneath you and in your hands as you find your favorite spot to drive. Nothing like a late night summer drive to clear the mind and invoke positive vibes.

I’ve been well and learning more and more about how to connect with those same positive vibes while working. As you may know, I work in the customer service department. It’s like choosing to work in the missing baggage claim area, or being the person who empties porta-potties, you’re bound to catch some crap and unhappiness each day.

What’s nice about my job is I am the decision maker; there is no “manager” above me. Anyone who has a warranty claim or complaint knows they’re dealing directly with the person who will be making the decisions and coming to a mutually reasonable resolution. It’s more often than not that we do come to a mutually beneficial resolution, because I’ve been given permission to take care of our customers.

Now, in dealing with car companies, I know there are a lot of Car Guy’s that have horrific experiences, where a company has zero desire to take care of them or work through issues, so when they come to me with guns blazing and fists raised, I realize this is just from their past experiences.

I just wanted to take the time to tell you, that we’re a reasonable company and we know we’re not perfect, BUT we’re always willing to help. We’re always willing to work towards a solution, and we’re always going to get back to you.

So when you call, Car Guy, know that if I don’t pick up, you’ll hear from me that day. When you email, know that you’ll get a reply within that same day. When I say I’ll call you back, you will be receiving a call back. When you ask a question, we are always willing to find the answer.

I hope you can understand our side of things a little better now, but just a heads up: As a standard, our company values its employees, and realizes that mental health and emotional well-being are more important than making a few bucks.

For whatever reason, I have experienced some people that just want to spread hate, and ill will. A burned out LED bulb is not worth being yelled at, cursed at, or being a personal punching bag for an angry Car Guy. This would make sense if we were a company that didn’t at least attempt and DESIRE to solve the problems as quickly as possible. We will always try out hardest to take care of those people, because we understand that sometimes it’s just a bad day, or you’ve been put through the ringer by other companies before, but if necessary, I have been giving permission to “fire you”.

What does it mean to be fired as a customer?

Ex: Angry Car Guy calls us and decides to yell, curse and/or throw a tantrum while I am trying to help. I reserve the right to hang up on you and 86 you as a customer. When you threaten us with personal insults and call us amazingly unoriginal names, and I am on the verge of tears, it just isn’t worth it anymore to try and be polite back. We will end the call, and move on with our days. We are here to help, not be the scape goats for your bad day.

Put your fists away, put the guns down, and come at me with a positive mindset, knowing that I’m going to do anything and everything I can to get you taken care of. I’ll be in contact with you consistently to let you know what we need, and what we’re doing. If at any point you have questions, call me up and I’ll let you know what I’m working on.

I am a customer service specialist. Yes, by nature this job isn’t going to be the most amazing all the time. Sometimes we have fallen short as a company and it’s my part to fix it and make your experience a more pleasant one. I am just hoping that, after reading this, you will know that we are here to help, and that we know that we’re not perfect. Give a chance to make it a better experience, refrain from yelling (because honestly it makes me cry sometimes), and know that we’re doing everything we can to get you taken care of as soon as possible.

Until next time, stay fast, stay safe, and stay happy!

–          Kim@CorkSportKim-CorkSport-in-Engine-Bay-Car-Mazda

2015 Mazda 2 Actual Photos Released

 

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These are the first images of the new Mazda2 or Mazda Demio as it will be known in Japan. Thanks to CarScoops.com for the photos.

 

Luckily it looks like Mazda decided to stick pretty close to their fantastic looking Hazumi concept, which is great news for anyone that loved the aggressive style.

 

We also noticed while looking at the photos that there appears to be some sensors at the top of the windshield just like in the newest Mazda 3 and Mazda 6. I assume this means it will be getting the adaptive cruise control, rain sensing wipers, brake assist, and other fancy technology for at least the higher end models.

 

Personally I’m a big fan of the interior, it looks sporty, clean, and upscale. Definitely a winner in my book!

 

Though Mazda hasn’t announced the engines yet, we are pretty confident that they will be releasing it with a 1.5L SkyActiv engine, and possibly the SkyActiv-D 1.5L also. We can only hope!

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Mazda-2-Released-2015-Shots-Side-View

Product Release – CORKSPORT Adjustable Aluminum Shift Knob

At CorkSport we value innovation. We’ve got dozens of products that are unique on the market. Our Blow-off valve is being patented. How do you innovate a shift knob? That’s a tough one but we found a way!

Are you ready for one of the first shiftknobs that you can adjust?  At its lightest, weighing in at 175 grams, and adjustable up to 320 grams, you will be able to tailor your shift weight to your driving style.

CorkSport Adjustable Weight Aluminum Shift Knob

To really feel your shifts, adjust the weight to the lighter side, as low as 175 grams and feel the intricate shift points as you flow through the gears. For those that like heavy knobs, you can max it out to 320 grams, giving you smoother shifts that easily falling into gear as you shift up and down through the gears.

CorkSport Adjustable Weighted Shift Knob

For example the first generation Mazdaspeed 3 (2007-2009) OEM shiftknob weighs in at 260 grams and the 2nd generation Mazdaspeed 3 (2010-2013) weighs in at 280 grams. You can find that sweet spot above or below that OEM weight to customize your driving style.

After you find that ideal and magical weight, installation will take about a minute as you screw on the knob. There are no set screws or adapters, it will screw straight on the OEM shaft as they were designed specifically for your Mazda vehicle. CAD designed and manufactured out of a durable deep blue or sleek black aluminium for a long life and incredible feel.

Order your CorkSport Adjustable Shift Knob Today

What should Sponsorship look Like?

What should sponsorship look like?

We have hundreds of people contact us every year to be sponsored. Some want free parts, some want discounts, some want to test parts, some want to simply represent a company they love, and others simply want the satisfaction of saying, “I’m sponsored!”. What should sponsorship look like though? We have only a handful of sponsored drivers because we believe that sponsorship should be a relationship, not just money thrown at someone. At the same time we have thousands of customers who want to support us, and hundreds of customers that ask for sponsorship. So the real question is how do we provide a sponsorship program that is best for everyone? A program where we can sponsor more people, the right people, AKA the people YOU want sponsored.

Why do we sponsor people?

We sponsor people for several reasons.

  • We like you: We have so many amazing people in the Mazda community and we want to support the growth of the Mazda modification scene.
  • When you get support, you give support: It’s a proven fact that when someone tells their friend about a great part, product, service, or event that it can be better marketing than Google ads, billboards, TV commercials or any other form of typical advertising. The best advertising that we can have is simply by providing the BEST customer service, BEST parts, and a great experience for all Mazda owners. One way to do this is too sponsor drivers who can tell you exactly what our parts are like!
  • Testing: We are always working on new parts for your car and the best parts are the ones that get tested, revised, tested, revised, and tested again. Though we have plenty of cars at our disposal in our shop or personal garages, often the best testing comes from YOU. Plus when you can say “I beta tested this, and that shit WORKS” it lets others know that we aren’t just making stuff up.

How does it Benefit you?

It depends on what you are looking for. As a sponsored driver you might get discounts on parts, recognition in the community, or you might even get to work personally with some of our engineers to develop and give feedback on our latest parts in development.  As CorkSport rolls out a new Sponsorship program we want to be able to invite everyone into being a part of a team that can benefit you and us, equally. This means that the more you invest in your car and the Mazda community, the more we invest in you.

How does it benefit us?

This one is more difficult to measure. Sponsorship can often appear to be a one-sided endeavor. In many sponsorship relationships you might get paid with free product, or even cash, to say something like “After every race, I drink a refreshing bottle of Sporty Sport Drink“. Now the statistics on how many customers choose to purchase Sporty Sport Drink because of your sponsorship is a tough measurement. In the same way it’s hard to measure how often someone sees your sweet looking Mazdaspeed 3 with a CorkSport decal on the side and decides to find out what CorkSport is and then buy something. Nonetheless it does happen (we hope) but, there is more to sponsorship than just advertising to make more money.

Sponsorship benefits us because it allows us to be a part of the Mazda community. We don’t always get to be at every Mazda event, we don’t get to talk personally with every Mazda customer, and we don’t even get to respond to every Mazda thread, question or email in our great big world. When we sponsor someone we get to make a connection with you, and then you get to be our ambassador for all those people we can’t personally interact with. In other words, we get to be part of the Mazda community, due to our CorkSport Sponsored Ambassador Team.

The Best Part about Sponsorship:

The best part about sponsorship is the fact that it is a community benefit. Sponsored drivers get cheaper parts, or new unreleased parts, or recognition. Mazda drivers that aren’t sponsored get the extra knowledge and help from the sponsored drivers, and get feedback about parts they don’t have. Finally Corkspot gets the benefit of creating a better Mazda community which is why we started the company in the first place! Because we love Mazdas!

Sponsorship is about sharing OUR love of Mazda with YOUR love of Mazda, and spreading that love beyond where we can reach individually.

 

Mazda in Love CorkSport Sponsorship

 

Have some ideas for when we roll out our new program? Have you been impacted by one of our sponsored drivers, or someone you think should be sponsored? Have a brilliant plan to benefit the Mazda community? Email Spencer@CorkSport.com your feedback and ideas!