Mazda Motor Corporation has confirmed that the all-new Mazda3 (known as Mazda Axela in Japan) four-door sedan and five-door hatchback models will be shown at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), to be held in Detroit from January 11 through January 25, 2009.

Mazda first unveiled the fully redesigned, all-new Mazda3 sedan at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, followed by the global reveal of the five-door hatchback model at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy.

Aimed at the young at heart, who love to drive and are technologically aware, the new Mazda3 is a completely new car from top to bottom and is still the most engaging car in its class. Both versions feature top-class environmental and safety performance, and offer evolved sporty driving performance, dynamic styling elements and a high-quality interior.

The Mazda3, one of the most popular models in Mazda’s lineup, saw two million units produced by the end of October 2008. The Mazda3 is also the first Mazda model to exceed its annual production volume for four consecutive years since its production commenced.

Source: http://www.mazda.com/publicity/release/2008/200812/081211a.html

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Mazda Hatchback, Japanese Cars

Hino Motors, Ltd. (Hino) will again participate in the Dakar Rally which will start on January 3, 2009. The rally raid will be held in Latin America for the first time in history. Two units of the medium-duty trucks “Hino 500 series” are ready to compete in the Camion (truck) division. Hino aims at achieving not only at the 18th consecutive course finish since Hino’s first entry in 1991, but also a victory in the under 10-liter class.

The 2009 Dakar Rally marks its 30th race, and the total entry of 530 units in all divisions with drivers from 49 nationalities marks its biggest ever. This year’s cross-country route is a round trip between two oceans: Buenos Aires (Argentina) on the Atlantic Ocean and Valparaiso (Chile) on the Pacific Ocean. The course includes tough natural terrain, such as the Andes and the Atacama Desert.

Hino will compete in the race as part of “HINO TEAM SUGAWARA” lead by Yoshimasa Sugawara, a man proud of his 25 consecutive entries in the rally (as featured in the Guinness Book of World Records). He holds an unbroken record of 19 consecutive course finishes up to the last event. Hino fully supports the team, mainly by building the vehicles for the race and by sending 7 of its technical experts from the Hino group as mechanic crew to maintain and tune the trucks on site.

According to a change in the FIA regulation, the Camion division entrants are divided into Production Trucks and Modified Trucks from 2009. This change is expected to bring more excitement and closer competition to the race. Under the new rule, the Hino 500 series, improved and upgraded from the units which competed in the last event, belongs to the Modified Trucks group.

Hino’s first entry into the Dakar Rally goes back to 1991, and was the first entrant from among all the Japanese truck manufacturers. Since then, Hino has never failed to renew its records of entry and course finishes every year. One of Hino’s outstanding achievements is a first-ever dominant victory of 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the Camion division in 1997. Not only have they finished courses of the world’s most grueling rally raid every year, but also Hino trucks have demonstrated very close finishes against monster camions of more than double the size of their engine displacement. In the 2009 Rally, Hino will again battle for a victory in the class of under 10 liters, in addition to an 18th course finish with a good record.

The Dakar Rally is one of Hino’s challenges to prove the reliability and durability of Hino trucks. As a global brand now, Hino further continues its battle for the even better records

Source: http://www.hino-global.com/news_release/121.html

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Hino Trucks,  Japanese Vehicles

Nissan (China) Investment Co., Ltd. and Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company jointly hosted the “Nissan Advanced Technology Briefing” for the first time in China.

The two-day event showcased Nissan’s advanced technologies, safety advancements and product innovations to government officials and university professors to build awareness of the company’s capabilities.

Featured at the briefing were environmentally friendly technologies, including the lithium-ion battery to be used in an electric vehicle under development for launch in 2010 and the Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT).

Safety innovations shown included the Around View Monitor (AVM) parking assist feature which offers the driver exterior views from multiple vantage points. The views then are transmitted to a dashboard screen. The AVM technology was first available on the recently launched Infiniti EX35 in China.

Nissan also brought its latest people-friendly technologies to the showcase, such as the easy-to-operate “ALL MODE 4×4-i” used in the new X-TRAIL. The 4WD system is controlled by way of a two-position, three-mode rotary knob, allowing the driver to choose front-wheel drive or fully automatic four-wheel drive, with the default setting being “auto” and “lock” available for off-road driving.

Nissan also shared information about STAR WINGS, a joint project with the Beijing Transportation Information Center for a new navigation system that identifies the shortest possible driving routes using real-time traffic data. This new system is available on certain models of the Nissan Teana.

At the briefing, Nissan displayed the Mixim, representing the companies’ commitment of zero-emission leadership. This 4WD electric concept car is powered by a large capacity lithium-ion battery and features two motors driving both front and rear wheels. The concept car was earlier shown at the Guangzhou Motor Show in November.

Nissan’s briefing underscored the company’s commitment to bring vehicles with people-friendly technologies to the Chinese market and to build grassroots safety activities for its customers in China.

Source: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2008/_STORY/081211-01-e.html

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Nissan Electric Vehicles, Japanese Cars

Mazda Motor Corporation will exhibit its latest eco-friendly technologies aimed to reduce CO2 emissions even further at the Eco-Products 2008 exhibition over the period December 11 -13, 2008. Taking place at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center, the exhibition is one of the largest environmental events in Japan. It is organized by the Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry (JEMAI) and the Nikkei newspaper group.

Mazda will display various eco-friendly technologies including its proprietary hydrogen rotary engine. The exhibition will also feature i-stop*1, Mazda’s independently developed engine start-stop system that is scheduled for launch in 2009. As well as enhancing fuel economy, the advanced i-stop system enables an extremely quick engine restart, ensuring drivers can resume their journey with no sense of delay.

Mazda aims to improve the fuel economy of Mazda vehicles sold globally by an average of 30 percent by 2015. Based on its long-term vision for technology development, Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, Mazda continues to advance its technology development in order to offer all its customers outstanding environmental and safety features as well as pure driving pleasure.

Source:http://www.mazda.com/publicity/release/2008/200812/081208a.html
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Mazda Vehicles, Engines