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10-05-2012, 10:50 AM
Filed under: Sedan (http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/), Mazda (http://www.autoblog.com/category/mazda/), First Drives (http://www.autoblog.com/category/driving/), Design/Style (http://www.autoblog.com/category/design-style/)
Mazda Makes a Marvelous Mid-Sizer
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/10/2014-mazda6-fd.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-mazda6-first-drive/)
It's well known that Mazda (http://www.autoblog.com/mazda) is working through some corporate challenges at the moment, but the company's second-half news has been, in general, far better than the headlines from the first half. Global sales are up 12 percent, the CX-5 (http://www.autoblog.com/mazda/cx-5) has sold 200,000 units worldwide and U.S. dealers are begging for more inventory. There's also a new factory on the way in Mexico (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/26/mazda-ceases-production-in-u-s-as-last-sedan-rolls-off-line-in/) that will assuage the profit-killing exchange-rate woes of building cars in Japan, and the next-generation MX-5 Miata (http://www.autoblog.com/mazda/mx-5+miata/) - whenever it arrives - is going to bring an Alfa Romeo roadste (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/04/alfa-romeos-version-of-mazda-mx-5-miata-to-be-costlier-offer-o/)r with it.
Still, at the moment, it's probably true that there is more love for Mazda - or perhaps there's actually more nostalgia - than sales traction.
The company would like its brand new midsize segment competitor to change that.
So in one corner we have the 2014 Mazda6 (http://www.autoblog.com/mazda/mazda6). In the other corner we have the Toyota Camry (http://www.autoblog.com/toyota/camry), Honda Accord (http://www.autoblog.com/honda/accord), Nissan Altima (http://www.autoblog.com/nissan/altima), Ford Fusion (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/fusion), Hyundai Sonata (http://www.autoblog.com/hyundai/sonata), Kia Optima (http://www.autoblog.com/kia/optima), Volkswagen Passat (http://www.autoblog.com/volkswagen/passat) and Chevrolet Malibu (http://www.autoblog.com/chevrolet/malibu). That is not an exciting list for a car enthusiast, but arrayed en masse it's like Neo taking on the endless Agent Smiths in the playground scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLXaRtc1f4I) in The Matrix: Reloaded - what the other cars lack in individual character they more than make up for in suffocating, sledgehammer numbers. Example: Mazda's entire export production - that's every one of its models that it sells in every other landmass besides Japan - in August 2012 was 44,495. That same month there were 36,270 Camrys sold in the United States alone.Continue reading 2014 Mazda6 (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/05/2014-mazda6-first-drive-review/)
2014 Mazda6 (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/05/2014-mazda6-first-drive-review/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/05/2014-mazda6-first-drive-review/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20342139/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/05/2014-mazda6-first-drive-review/#comments)
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Mazda Makes a Marvelous Mid-Sizer
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/10/2014-mazda6-fd.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-mazda6-first-drive/)
It's well known that Mazda (http://www.autoblog.com/mazda) is working through some corporate challenges at the moment, but the company's second-half news has been, in general, far better than the headlines from the first half. Global sales are up 12 percent, the CX-5 (http://www.autoblog.com/mazda/cx-5) has sold 200,000 units worldwide and U.S. dealers are begging for more inventory. There's also a new factory on the way in Mexico (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/26/mazda-ceases-production-in-u-s-as-last-sedan-rolls-off-line-in/) that will assuage the profit-killing exchange-rate woes of building cars in Japan, and the next-generation MX-5 Miata (http://www.autoblog.com/mazda/mx-5+miata/) - whenever it arrives - is going to bring an Alfa Romeo roadste (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/04/alfa-romeos-version-of-mazda-mx-5-miata-to-be-costlier-offer-o/)r with it.
Still, at the moment, it's probably true that there is more love for Mazda - or perhaps there's actually more nostalgia - than sales traction.
The company would like its brand new midsize segment competitor to change that.
So in one corner we have the 2014 Mazda6 (http://www.autoblog.com/mazda/mazda6). In the other corner we have the Toyota Camry (http://www.autoblog.com/toyota/camry), Honda Accord (http://www.autoblog.com/honda/accord), Nissan Altima (http://www.autoblog.com/nissan/altima), Ford Fusion (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/fusion), Hyundai Sonata (http://www.autoblog.com/hyundai/sonata), Kia Optima (http://www.autoblog.com/kia/optima), Volkswagen Passat (http://www.autoblog.com/volkswagen/passat) and Chevrolet Malibu (http://www.autoblog.com/chevrolet/malibu). That is not an exciting list for a car enthusiast, but arrayed en masse it's like Neo taking on the endless Agent Smiths in the playground scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLXaRtc1f4I) in The Matrix: Reloaded - what the other cars lack in individual character they more than make up for in suffocating, sledgehammer numbers. Example: Mazda's entire export production - that's every one of its models that it sells in every other landmass besides Japan - in August 2012 was 44,495. That same month there were 36,270 Camrys sold in the United States alone.Continue reading 2014 Mazda6 (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/05/2014-mazda6-first-drive-review/)
2014 Mazda6 (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/05/2014-mazda6-first-drive-review/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/05/2014-mazda6-first-drive-review/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20342139/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/05/2014-mazda6-first-drive-review/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/05/2014-mazda6-first-drive-review/)