Mazdaspeed

Mazdaspeed (often stylized in all-caps as MAZDASPEED) is Mazda's in-house performance division. The company is a grass-roots racing team in Japan. Now owned by Mazda Motor Corporation, they build production model vehicles, become involved in motorsports development, and offer performance parts and accessories.

History

Mazdaspeed began in 1967 as "Mazda Sports Corner", an independent racing team and tuning operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor. They competed in numerous events at home and abroad, and they were also competitive at the 24 Hours of Le Mans races in the early 1980s with the 717, 727, and 737. Mazda brought the racing team to Hiroshima in 1983 where the name became Mazdaspeed. In 1991, Mazdaspeed's 787B won at Le Mans, a feat no other Japanese team has managed. After the FIA effectively outlawed the Wankel engine the next year, the Mazdaspeed team raced one more year at Le Mans in a Piston powered car which came fourth, then turned away from professional racing and focused instead on enabling third-party competition of Mazda vehicles.

Mazda6

The Mazda6 or Mazda 6 (known as the Mazda Atenza in China and Japan) is a large family car produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Mazda since 2002. It replaced the long-serving Mazda Capella (616, 626) in 2002. The Mazda6 has sold over one million units worldwide since its introduction, hitting this sales milestone faster than all previous Mazdas.

The Mazda6 was the first example of the company's new Stylish, Insightful, and Spirited design philosophy followed by the Mazda2 in December 2002, the RX-8 in August 2003, the Mazda3 in January 2004, the Mazda5 in the summer of 2005, the MX-5 in October 2005, and the Mazda CX-7 in November 2006. The 2003 Mazda6 is essentially the 6th generation Mazda 626 as the Mazda6 continues on the G-platform, progressing from the GF-platform 626/Capella to the GG-platform Mazda6., lenght 192.7 width 72.4 wheelbase 111.4 height 57.5

First generation (GG; 2002–2008)

The model lineup consists of a four-door sedan, a five-door hatchback and a five-door estate, marketed in North America as the "Sport Sedan", "5-Door" and "Sport Wagon", respectively. In Australia, the lineup starts with Limited, available only as a saloon. Then comes the Classic, available in saloon, hatch or estate. The Luxury model is next available in saloon and hatch versions. Topping the range is the Luxury Sports model, available only as a hatch. In New Zealand the lineup consisted of 2.0L GLX (saloon only), 2.3L GSX (saloon, hatch, and estate), and the range-topping 2.3L Limited (saloon and hatch).

Mazdaspeed3

The Mazdaspeed3 is a sport compact hatchback introduced for the 2007 model year by Mazdaspeed and produced until 2013. Now in its second generation, the Mazdaspeed3 is a performance-enhanced version of the 5-door Mazda3.

Mazda unveiled the Mazda3 MPS (Mazda Performance Series) at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show in February. The same model is sold in North America as the Mazdaspeed3 and as the Mazdaspeed Axela in Japan. The vehicle is front-wheel drive and powered by a 2.3-litre gasoline engine. The Mazdaspeed3 was designed prior to the latest generation of hot hatches, including the Dodge Caliber SRT-4, Ford Focus ST, and the Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit GTI.. The engine featured in the Mazdaspeed3 produces 263 horsepower. The Mazdaspeed3 also features a limited slip differential. The car produces 280 lb-ft of torque.

The Mazdaspeed3 is the company's first hot hatchback since the BG Familia GT-X of the early 1990s.

2007-2009

The Mazdaspeed3 features the same turbocharged 2.3-litre DISI MZR I4 engine from the Mazdaspeed Atenza (known as Mazdaspeed6 in North America and Mazda 6 MPS in Europe, South Africa and Australia). In this application, it produces 263 hp (196 kW) and 280 lb·ft (380 N·m) when running on 91 octane gasoline ((R+M)/2). This is routed through the front wheels rather than the complex all-wheel drive system found on the Mazdaspeed Atenza. The Australian market receives the Mazda3 MPS with the same engine as the Mazda6 MPS with 190 kW (255 hp) of power. The engine was listed in Ward's 10 Best Engines for three years straight.