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Rookie
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Edm, AB, Can
Posts: 11
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Re: Mazda confirms new I4 cheaper than the ZETEC E.
This is long, but worth the read. It outlines the fate of Mazda within FoMoCo's domain, and how Mazda will play in the next Protege / Protege-5 / Focus / S-40 / V-50 and other shared models.
Rick
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Reinventing Mazda
Ford’s Japanese affiliate retools
virtually its entire product line
Business in Japan being what it is, it’s not every day that a Japanese automaker pulls the covers off a range of still secret models and shows all to the press. But to selected audiences in Yokohama, Frankfurt, and New York over the past two months, that’s just Mazda has done.
There are two reasons for the sudden burst of glasnost. First, Mazda has no new full-change models to roll out in 2001, only freshenings and special editions. So, with that in mind, the new model showcase was one way, to quote president Mark Fields, of keeping Mazda out there “on everyone’s radar screens.”
Second, the structure of Mazda’s relationship with Ford has now fallen into place.
Mazda says it will release 36 new products over the coming three years on four new architectures or platforms – three of which will be shared with Ford. The four new platforms are expected to account for at least 70 percent of Mazda’s global production – about 800,000 units – by 2003.
The way Mazda put this product out on the market has now been completely redrawn, thinks to the Ford connection. The new scenario sees all volume models from here on developed in some major way with Ford, be it platforms, engines, factory production lines – and in some cases, a combination of all three all at the same time. The Ford tie-up means development cost per model can be cut from ten to 50 percent, depending on the program. Still, Mazda expects to increase spending on product development by 30 percent a year through 2004, compared with the past five years.
Within the Ford family, Mazda is now the “global centre of excellence” for developing mid-size (626 class) front-wheel-drive vehicle architectures and large capacity I-4 engines for the Ford group. Each is a fairly sizable responsibility, which means Mazda is now working as much for Ford as it is for itself.
At the other end of the scale, Dearborn recognizes that Mazda has a real ability with sport/specialty models like the MX-5 Miata and the upcoming RX-8, so Hiroshima is being left to develop these niche programs essentially on its own.
As for 36 new products, 16 will be earmarked for Japan, 11 for North America, and nine for Europe and Australia. Although there will be some doubling up (as in when a model makes its debut in the three different markets and therefore counts as threes models out of 36), Mazda’s product offensive is still a major undertaking. Models, powertrains, designs – the whole package is new from here on.
At the coming-out party to talk about 2002-2004, Mazda didn’t show everything. But redesigns of three core products – Demio, 323/Familia/Protegé, and 626/Capella – were revealed, along with the exciting 280bhp rotary-engined, four-door RX-8 that Mazda previewed in January at the Detroit show.
In the B (subcompact) class, the Demio will share a number of platform components with Ford’s next-generation Fiesta. In the C (compact) class, the 323/Familia/Protegé will share pieces with the next-generation Focus. And in the C/D (mid-size) class, the 626/Capella will share underbody parts with the next Mondeo.
Mazda also continues to shift more production from its home plants in Japan to Ford facilities in North America and Europe, in part to shield it from exchange-rate fluctuations.
Following is a rundown of the key future product actions at Mazda, compiled from the official press functions as well as from unofficial sources in Europe, Asia, and North America:
Demio: The redesigned Demio, also known internally as the “global small car,” is to be launched in May 2002 in the Japanese domestic market. Its European startup is slated in early 2003, but the company has no plans for North American sales.
The current five-door model, sold in export markets as the 121 (last seen in North America as the Festiva /Aspire), was introduced in 1996 as a quick and dirty redo of the virtually unsaleable Autozam Revue four-door sedan. It has been a huge success in Japan, having sold a whisker under 400,000 units since its debut and has long since overtaken the Familia to become Mazda’s domestic bestseller. Considering its popularity, Hiroshima is not messing too much with the Demio script. But while the same small, cheeky five-door MPV theme carries over, the new model promises a larger, sportier interior together with a neater exterior style. The company even is considering badging this model the Demio Classic, while considering production of a slightly more radically styled counterpart that would also carry the Demio name.
Mazda says the 2002 Demio has all-new powertrains, including new 1.3-ltire and 1.5-litre aluminum-block engines mated to a continuously variable transmission. For the key European market, Mazda is planning different engines: 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre gasoline engines along with a new 1.4-litre common-rail diesel. A direct-injection gasoline engine option is al-so planned.
323/Familia/Protegé: Next size up form the Demio is the 323/Familia/Protegé. Its replacement is scheduled to hit the market in mid-2003 and is referred to internally as “compact car.” The new 323/Familia/Protegé will share its floorplan and much of the suspension geometry with the Ford Focus, although it appears that Mazda will introduce a number of changes to the Ford underbody architecture that will not appear on the Focus until the latter model is redesigned in 2004.
Under the lights, Mazda revealed a highly stylized four-door sedan body for the next 323 that borrows a lot of the imagery of the rotary-powered RX-8 flag-ship. The new car combines the sporty look of a coupe with the convenience and comfort of a sedan, but, as now, a five-door hatchback derivative will also be offered. Both sedan and hatchback will be marketed in North America.
This five-door hatch will be Mazda’s second production model for Europe and, reportedly, Mazda is pushing hard to build the car with Ford in Germany, seeing that as a way to build up the quality and high-tech image among European buyers.
New powertrains are promised, ranging from 1.4 to 2.3 litres. For Japan, engines are expected to be new low-emission 1.5-litre and 2.3-litre gasoline units and a 1.7-litre turbo-diesel. Europe can expect at least a base 1.4-litre unit (likely shared with the Demio), but the main action may well be with an all-new 2.0-litre diesel. For North America, Mazda will again offer only gasoline engines, including the 1.4-litre, a 2.0-litre, and a range-topping 2.3-litre unit.
626/Capella: One of motordom’s great underrated cars, the 626/Capella gets a major redesign in spring 2002. As now, Mazda will offer four-door sedan, five-door hatchback, and wagon variants in this class, although only Japan and Europe will get all three body styles.
Up to a point, the sleek styling of the 2002 wagon redesign is reflected in the MX Sport Tourer, the appealing 2.0-litre gasoline-electric hybrid crossover concept vehicle that Mazda revealed at the 2001 Geneva show. Cabin design as well as sheetmetal will lift the 626 range up form the mass ranks of Japanese middle-market players, and we can expect a big jump in quality and craftsmanship too, Mazda says. The new range will also be longer, wider, and more powerful than the current generation.
Going forward, Ford will adopt this midsized platform for the next Mondeo, although whether they will go with the new Mazda suspension setup of front double wishbones and rear multi-link axle remains to be seen.
Again, powertrains will be all new and will include 1.8- and 2.0-litre gasoline engines, a bigger 2.3-litre unit with variable valve timing, and a 2.0-litre common-rail direct-injection diesel. Some markets will also see a high-performance 280bhp variant with a turbo-charged 2.3-litre engine and AWD. For North America, Mazda will offer a variable-cam 3.0-litre V-6 coupled to a five-speed transmission, as well as the smaller 2.3-litre I-4 engine. The new-generation 626 sedan will continue to be assembled at Ford’s Flat Rock, Michigan, plant, and the new 626 wagon will be imported from Japan.
MX Sport Tourer: Not slated until late 2004, a production version of the slick MX Sport Tourer could serve as an advanced-technology showcase for Mazda.
The Geneva concept was powered by a 2.0-litre variable-valve-timing engine linked an electric motor and a new type of four-wheel-drive system. This hybrid system also included a toroidal continuously variable transmission (CVT).
The production model, which could share platform bits with Ford’s upcoming Global CTU (for “Cross Trainer Utility”), is expected to borrow styling cues from the MX Sport Tourer, including the concept’s rear suicide doors.
To be offered in both front- and four-wheel-drive variants, the vehicle will be powered by a new generation of direct-injection powerplants, including a 2.3 litre I-4 and a 3.0-litre V-6.
RX-8: The fourth new vehicle architecture from Hiroshima is the front-engine/rear-wheel-drive sport platform that Mazda is developing – very rapidly – for the RX-8, the company’s iconic new rotary-powered four-door sport sedan. Mazda hopes to begin building the RX-8 in production volumes in late 2002 or early 2003, and it should be one amazing drive.
The conceptually fascination four-door, which made its debut earlier this year in Detroit in near-production-ready trim, could set light to the sports-car segment as the Miata did more than a decade ago. Two major variants will exist: a base model with a 210bhp two-rotor Wankel engine coupled to a five-speed manual or automatic transmission, the latter believed to be the toroidal CVT Mazda showed at the last Tokyo show. There will also be a performance model with the 250bhp version of the same normally aspirated rotary, only coupled to a six-speed manual transmission.
Mazda is keen to avoid the insurance and pricing difficulties that so handicapped the last RX-7 in the key North American market with the new RX-8, which should appear in final trim at the 2002 Detroit show. The company has a lot riding on this one, but it has the stuff to be a category killer.
RX-7: In late 2003, a new fourth-generation RX-7 will appear. Although virtually forgotten in North America, the RX-7 continues to return respectable sales figures in Japan. With this in mind (and an eye towards kick-starting exports), Mazda has a new car coming on line. The normally aspirated two-rotor Wankel engine from the RX-8 will power the redone two-seat coupe.
Mazda has done a good job of protecting details of the new RX-7. There are two stories circulating, one of which is said to have been planted by Hiroshima to maintain suspense for the new car. The information alleged to have been planted indicates that the next-generation car will maintain the floorplan of the current car, re-jigged to share some RX-8 and next-generation Miata suspension components, as well as the 250bhp powertrain from the RX-8. The other plan (rumored to be much closer to the mark) is that the new RX-7 will ride of a version of the Miata-RX-8 platform sized between the two other models. To ensure product stratification, the RX-7 will exist solely as a coupe, and the Miata will continue as an open car.
MX-5 Miata: Although sales aren’t likely to start before early 2004, the 2003 Toyko show is likely to be where the next-generation MX-5 Miata will be presented to the public. To spread costs of Mazda’s much-copied traditional sports car, the new RX-8 will donate a large number of underbody components to the next incarnation of this ever-popular two-seat convertible. In the meantime, the current Miata is slated for a mild freshening in 2002.
The new Miata retains the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout of the present model and will have a slightly roomier interior. Engine availability will consist of a 128bhp 1.6-litre base engine for Japan, Europe, and southeast Asia, with a VVT 2.0-litre four (essentially the same engine that will see service in the next 626, although in a different state of tune with about 165bhp) replacing the current 1.8-litre as the top power option. The stories of a rotary-engined Miata are only stories – more or less – although there continues to be considerable internal discussion about the possibility of a high-end cabriolet powered by a two-rotor Wankel to tangle with the Porsche Boxster and others.
A related rumour has Ford getting a sister model with a conventional reciprocal engine. On paper, it looks smart, not least because Ford is reportedly anxious to have a car like the Miata, only bigger, in its own model lineup.
MPV: Introduced in mid-1999, the MPV minivan is to receive a freshening this summer – the sort of midlife make-over that Japanese buyers expect. Reprofiled bumpers, new headlamps and grille, and different taillamps and wheels will keep the MPV spotters happy, and owners will enjoy some driveline refinements as part of the package. The face-lifted MPV should arrive in North America and other export markets this fall as a 2002 model, fitted with a new and more powerful 3.0-litre V-6. An all-new MPV is under study for possible launch in mid-2004, al-though there’s no final program approval at this point. Development most likely would be twinned with that of the next-generation Ford Galaxy in Europe, which is to shift its current Volkswagen underpinnings to a new Mondeo-based platform.
Tribute: Sharing its platform with the Ford Escape, the Tribute SUV is now assembled in Kansas City and Hiroshima. It is slated for a mild freshening in 2003. A total redesign of the Tribute/Escape isn’t expected until two years later, when the twins are expected to share the new corporate U1 platform with the next-generation Land Rover Freelander.
Millenia: Sometime in 2002, the Millenia near-luxury sedan – the sole survivor of the stillborn Amati division, Mazda’s would-be-Lexus experiment – will be phased out of production. There’s no replacement scheduled for the Japanese market, although industry chatter suggests the new MX Sport Tourer could fill the Millenia’s slot at the top of Mazda’s product range in North America.
© GlobalAutoNet.com
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That isn't surprising that in improving the engine that they could also make it less expensive to manufacture. But that doesn't mean that no cost would be involved in dropping the old engine and having the new one up and running for the 2003 model year. Its a better engine, but how can they still sell so many SPIs? The Zetec runs smoother and produces more torque and horsepower with a minimal difference in price, and granted a small drop in fuel economy. But most people don't care. I have no doubts that the new Duratec HE will be an improvement in just about every respect.
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