Combined with the aerodynamic gains, the extra power output of the V6 3.5 24V engine will enable New Mégane Trophy to lap in times similar to those of a Porsche GT3.

The front and rear light units and windscreen are those of the road car, while the designers at the Renault Technocentre have made full use of digital simulation technology in the field of fluid mechanics to hone the flowing lines of the bodywork. New Mégane Trophy also carries over the ground effect aerodynamics of the existing car.

Refinements to the set-up have produced a 20% improvement in downforce and a 15% reduction in drag which, together, represent a gain of almost 40% in terms of the new car’s aerodynamic performance over the previous generation machine.

New Mégane Trophy is equipped with butterfly doors reminiscent of the world of GT and sports-prototype racing.

After completion of its development programme, New Mégane Trophy will go on sale at the end of the year in the form of a kit that will enable existing cars to be upgraded. The modifications required to adapt the chassis to the new bodywork will be carried out by the Alpine factory in Diepp

Speculation about specification at this stage would be simply that: speculation. However, despite engine revisions in the US, expect to see the same 1.6 litre and 2.0 litre E20 capable petrol units to remain in Thailand. Europeans can enjoy a new 2.2 diesel, while the Americans can enjoy a uprated 2.5 litre petrol.

Although some details about the car have been made available along with these images, much of it is useless for us here in Thailand where specifications will not be identical to other markets. However, the car is lighter than before, something that Mazda has also managed with the 2 and 6 with their latest incarnations. There is also talk of improved sound damping, another welcome improvement.

The design of the new Mazda3 is very fresh, and brings something a little new to the market. Of course this will not appeal to more conservative buyers, but that’s the point!

The Hatchback option, known in Thailand as the Mazda3 Sport, has proved particularly popular for Mazda, and since neither Toyota or Honda have anything to compare, they have enjoyed some modest success in that segment. With good build quality, and a sporty ride, those looking for something a little less stodgy than the ubiquitous Toyota Corolla Altis, could find something to like in the Mazda3 Sport. The outgoing model was also class-leading in terms of safety specification with side and curtain air bags available long before others in this segment.

Seemingly, it is common now for Thailand to be overlooked for many years when a new “global” model is launched. This happened with the Mitsubishi Lancer, with the outgoing model left to compete with fresher legged opposition several years after its sell by date. By the time the replacement arrived, the others are well on their way towards bring on fresh legs in the way of mid-life updates and face lifts.

Why is this the case? Well, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Ford are not selling in the quantities that Toyota and Honda can manage. Retooling the local factories for new models is expensive, and the sales projections would have to allow for it.

Mazda were shipping the 2004 Mazda3 over from the Philippines, where it was put together at the Ford plant along with the Focus on which the Mazda3 is based. Now, the new Mazda3 will be built in Thailand, at the shiny new US$ 450 million Ford/Mazda AAT plant, where the BT-50 and Mazda2 are currently built.

If Mazda were ever to build a super car, The  Mazda Furai would be it. Based on the factory-backed American Le Mans Series race car,

Mazda Furai (read fu-rye), which means “sound of the wind”, is inspired by the fact that there are the sort of car that could only come from a company that incorporates the “Soul of a Sports Car” into everything it manufactures.

The  Mazda Furai  is powered by a 450 hp RENESIS-based R20B three-rotor rotary engine.
It is a high-performance supercar. Other than just looks, the Furai would bring a good performance on the race track.

The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. It first appeared in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7 and, like its predecessors in the RX range, it is powered by a rotary engine. The RX-8 began North American sales in the 2004 model year. The 2009 RX-8 offers a new five-spoke wheel design featuring a symbolic and sporty design reminiscent of the rotary engine, with different arrangements for each wheel size. There are currently three trims available to consumers: Sport, Grand Touring, and R3. Mazda North American Operations extended the engine warranty on RX-8s built between 2004 and 2008 to 8 years or 100,000 miles. The warranty extension covers the engine core which consists of the rotor housing and internal parts as well as the seals and gaskets.

The system maintains a stable vehicle attitude by ascertaining the absolute roll angle at any given moment through a combination of information on the vehicle’s roll movements provided by the roll rate sensor, and data on steering angle, lateral G-force, yaw rate and vehicle speed from the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) system.” - Installed in Mazda CX-9 for North America.

Driving assistance technology coordinating with transport infrastructure

“Mazda is participating in an ITS public road test to be held in Hiroshima under the auspices of an organisation made up of government, business and academic institutions. The test is scheduled to begin in the fall this year. We are in charge of developing a navigation system that supports ITS in this test on public roads and we will collect and analyse data from systems installed in several dozen Mazda vehicles. We are also developing an infrastructure-cooperative driver support system that will allow the driver to receive relevant information from sensors, beacons and other devices installed on the road. The support system includes a right-turn collision prevention support system, a blind corner collision prevention support system, and a system to support the prevention of rear-end collisions when waiting at traffic signals. Mazda is actively promoting this kind of road-human-vehicle interface and control technology approach.”- 2008 Hiroshima district public road ITS verification test.

Mazda RX-8 hit the global market with a serious bang. The RX-8 has won 52 global awards since its release including 2003 Japanese Car of the Year, Australia’s Wheels magazine’s Car of the Year for 2003, 2003 International Engine of the Year, 2004 Singapore Car of the Year, the 2004 U.S. Best Sports Car and UK Car of the Year 2004. It was also named on Car and Driver magazine’s Ten Best list for 2004, 2005, and 2006. All together, Mazda has sold nearly 158,000 RX-8s around the world.