Tag: SkyActiv

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Fiat. Again.

I wrote a post about rumors of a Fiat/Mazda partnership in March and here we are several months later and the rumor of Mazda and Fiat working together has become a reality.

The official news is that Fiat is going to share Mazda’s upcoming Mx5 chassis in a new Alfa Romeo roadster of some type. Contrary to my other blog post on the topic, I am ok with this. Mazda will be able to re-coup some of the engineering and production costs from the Mx5 and I don’t see the Alfa and the MX5 really competing for the same buyer.

Reading between the lines on the announcement, I expect we will see the news of Mazdas being built in Fiat owned plants in the coming years and would expect it to be the new Skyactiv platform vehicles (aka Cx5 and new generation Mazda 3).

Assembling vehicles in the EU would benefit Mazda by allowing them to lower prices and be more competitive in the European market. Along with the Mazda plant being built in Mexico, Mazda has several bright spots in their production plans that will compliment their great sales numbers making them more competitive on the global market.

I do have some doubts about the quality of vehicles being built outside of Mazda plants in Japan. The Mazda 6s built in the auto alliance plant in Michigan seemed to be ok but the reliability stigma around Fiats and Alfas from the 70s and 80s makes me question the alliance’s long-term value.

Officially Fiat has said it does not want to purchase a stake in Mazda and wants to finish the Chrysler purchase in the near future. I’m not too sure I believe the statement offered by Fiat but at this point we will have to wait and see what happens.

There is an interesting side story in all of this. Mazda has agreed to have Sollers in Russia build the Cx5 and Mazda 6 for the Russian market. This deal was made after a deal for Fiat and Sollers fell through to have Sollers build vehicles in a joint venture.

With this move, the Mexico plant, and the agreement with Sollers in Russia, I see a great path for Mazda to move forward on and I look forward to seeing how this goes.

-Derrick

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Product Release! CorkSport Mazda CX-5 LED Lighting Kit

CorkSport is pleased to add the new Mazda CX-5 LED Lighting Kit to our growing list of products designed to enhance the look and performance of the new Mazda CX5 models!

This kit expands CorkSport’s line of LED light kits specifically designed for Mazda and Mazdaspeed model vehicles by adding a lighting kit that has been customized for the CX5 and designed to replace the standard yellowish lights with cool white/blue ambient light for an enhanced look in the interior of the vehicle and license plate lighting.

“We are the only Mazda Performance Company on the market right now that supports the new Mazda CX-5 models and SkyActiv technology,” said Rich Harris, President of CorkSport Mazda Performance, “The CorkSport Skyactiv Short Ram Intake, Skyactiv Exhaust for Mazda 3, and our new lighting kit represent just the beginning of what will be a full line of performance products to support the SkyActiv brand.”

The CorkSport Mazda CX5 LED Lighting Kit includes replacements for your dome light, map light, rear hatch and license plate bulbs and retains the interior dimming feature in the Mazda CX5. The bulbs emit a very white color with just a hint of blue that resides in the 6000-7000k color range.

This practical and attractive addition to the vehicle improves the look of the interior and generates less heat, will have a longer lifespan than the standard bulbs, and resists shocks and vibrations better.

This CorkSport Mazda CX5 LED Light Kit is an easy to install accessory that includes vehicle specific installation instructions and is at https://www.corksport.com/corksport-mazda-cx5-led-light-kit.html

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Mazda 3 SkyActiv Short Ram Performance Air Intake

CorkSport began development of the new SkyActiv intake as soon as the technology was made available in the United States and today is happy to be the first Mazda aftermarket performance company to add a short ram intake for the 2012+ SkyActiv Mazda 3 and 2013+ Mazda CX-5 to its catalog of Mazda performance parts.

Engineered with exacting tolerances, the CorkSport Mazda SkyActiv Intake includes our precision machined MAF housing made from billet aluminum, durable dry flow air filter and custom reinforced silicone connector. In initial testing on the SkyActiv Mazda CX5, the CorkSport SkyActiv Short Ram Intake netted peak gains of +5 HP and +6 lb torque.

Mazda 3 Skyactiv Short Ram Intake Dyno Results

“Sales for Mazda’s new SkyActiv product line-up have shown tremendous potential and we have had several product requests for a SkyActiv short ram intake,“ said Rich Harris, President of CorkSport Mazda Performance, “Our engineering staff really stepped up to the plate to get our new SkyActiv intake to market quickly in order to fully support the Mazda community.”

Skyactive Mazda Engine Bay with CorkSport Short Ram Intake

CorkSport has already confirmed the fitment of the single exit Mazda 3 exhaust for the SkyActiv Mazda 3 and made it available to the public and is happy to be able to add a second performance offering designed for the SkyActiv technologies developed by Mazda to increase fuel efficiency and engine output.

As with all CorkSport Mazda SRIs, the SkyActiv Short Ram Intake comes with a two-year limited warranty, full-color installation instructions, and CorkSport service and support. For added support, this kit also has a complete installation video.

The CX-5 SkyActiv intake can be purchased separately in our newly added CorkSport CX5 catalog and the Mazda 3 SkyActiv Intake can be purchased as an option that has been added to the CorkSport Power Series 2.0 Liter Mazda 3 intake.

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2014 MX-5 Going SkyActiv Turbo

We have blogged about what’s to come for the 2014 Mazda MX-5 in the past. At the time it was reported that the MX-5 Miata was going to be lighter than the current model by around 720 lbs and when I reported on this last August, the word was that the MX-5 would come with a 1.5-liter SkyActiv-G four-cylinder engine that would produce up to 160 horsepower and would be mated to a six-speed manual transmission with an option to change to a dual-clutch semi-automatic transmission.

It appears though that Mazda still has not settled on which engine will make its way into the next generation MX-5. Auto Guide reported last month that the engine originally planned for the MX-5 didn’t cut it and neither did a version of their current SkyActiv 2.0L four-cylinder engine. The 1.5 did not meet Mazda’s performance requirements and the 2.0L didn’t have the fuel economy.

So what now? Well it seems that the solution may come in the form of a 1.8L SkyActiv four-cylinder 1.3L or 1.5L turbo-charged engine. The new turbo engine will employ SkyActiv technologies like variable cam phasing with lower friction parts to boost performance and fuel economy and will also be mated to reduced-friction transmissions.

Whichever powerplant Mazda decides on, you can expect the car to produce roughly 150 hp with about a 10-percent improvement in fuel economy from the current MX-5’s (22 city/28 highway mpg). The new Miata is scheduled to make a debut by mid-2014 and will be priced under $25,000.

Gwynne-

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Product Release! CorkSport SkyActiv Mazda 3 Power Series Single Exit Exhaust

CorkSport is pleased to expand our single exit exhaust offering to include the new Mazda 3 SkyActiv model!

The CorkSport Power Series Single Exit 60mm Exhaust has been designed to work with both the 2010+ sedans and hatchback trim standard 2.0 liter and SkyActiv engine models.

Featuring dual resonators, a slip fit compression connection to the aft end of the catalytic converter and a single tailpipe design, the CorkSport Mazda 3 exhaust replaces the factory tailpipe muffler with polished 2.4 ID stainless steel piping and non-resonated CorkSport dual wall 90mm exhaust tip.

During testing with the CorkSport SRI and single exit exhaust on the 2.0 liter model, the CorkSport Mazda 3 Power Series Single Exit Exhaust went from a baseline of 118hp/110lb ft. of torque to a respectable 135hp and 123lb ft. of torque at the wheels.

The 2.0L results are moderate at the bottom end (with around a 4-5hp/tq gain) below 4000rpm with the majority of the power coming on rapidly at around 4500rpm and held steadily to the 7000rpm redline demonstrating the constrained nature of the stock system for the smaller 2.0L engine.

As with all of our CorkSport exhausts, the Power Series Mazda 3 single exit design features mandrel bent, polished stainless steel T304 construction for corrosion resistance and a clean stylish look. It has a distinctive performance sound that is mild but noticeable at cruise and idle and a distinctive growl at wide open throttle and free rev.

The CorkSport Power Series Mazda 3 SkyActiv Exhaust includes an optional 60mm racepipe with or without high flow catalytic converter that attaches between the factory header downpipe flange and the front compression fitting of the cat-back portion of the exhaust system

The CorkSport Power Series Mazda 3 SkyActiv Single Exit Exhaust is great for your hatchback model. For more information and complete pricing, please visit our product listing page at https://www.corksport.com/corksport-power-series-exhaust-system-mazda-3.html