As seemingly untouchable as the “Ranger” badge is to Ford, the company has nevertheless made preparations to close its small truck plant in Minnesota in the near future, possibly at the end of 2009.  This is hardly unexpected.  The current Ranger is nearly 15 years old, and it shows.  However, if the Asian truck concept that has been making the rounds at auto shows is any indication of the future, Ford has an aggressive replacement in the works.

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Mazda has announced that it will use the Eco-Products 2008 Show that takes place at Japan’s Tokyo International Exhibition Center over the period December 11 -13, 2008, to display its latest eco-friendly technologies aimed to further reduce CO2 emissions. The company’s main exhibit will consist of the new i-stop engine start-stop system that improves fuel economy by approximately 10 percent in Japan’s fuel economy tests and is scheduled for launch in 2009 as well as the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid and the RX-8 Hydrogen test vehicles. Other exhibits at Mazda’s show stand will include the display of various weight reduction and material technologies.

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Mazda gave us a foretaste of its forthcoming sub B-segment city car at the Paris Motor Show with the Kiyora concept. To our misfortune, the production version of the Kiyora, said to be labeled Mazda1, will not get the concept’s Lamborghini style doors nor the futuristic interior. What it will get though when Mazda introduces the Mazda2’s smaller brother early next decade is the Kiyora’s next generation four-cylinder, 1.3-litre direct injection gasoline engine mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift as well as the start-stop system which altogether, promise to improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions. Continued

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 Shortly after Suzuki introduced the new Wagon-R and Wagon-R Stingray into the Japanese market, Mazda announced the sales launch of the fully redesigned AZ-Wagon which as you can clearly see in the pictures, is a rebadged version of Suzuki’s kei car. As with the donor vehicle, the AZ-Wagon is offered in two flavours, the standard car and the ‘sportier’ looking Custom Style which is the equivalent of the Suzuki Wagon-R Stingray. Japanese buyers can opt between naturally aspirated and turbocharged 660cc engines, matted to a 4-speed automatic, a 5-speed manual or a CVT transmission with seven-speed manual mode as well as between FWD and AWD versions. Retail prices in Japan (including consumption tax) range from 924,000 to 1,482,600 yen ($8,700 - $14,000) for the AZ-Wagon, and from 1,270,500 to 1,687,350 yen ($12,000 - $15,910) for the AZ-Wagon Custom Style. Mazda’s target sales volume for the entire range is 2,000 units a month compared to Suzuki’s goal for 18,000 units a month.

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The rotary engine is world-renowned for many things, but fuel-efficiency isn’t one of them. Mazda wants to make Wankel’s masterpiece the poster child for its hydrogen-powered endeavors, so it’s considering offering a dual-fuel version of the engine in its next RX-badged offering.

According to AutoExpress, Mazda’s RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicle will evolve into a new model, dubbed the RX-9, and is rumored to be motivated by a hydrogen-gasoline powertrain that will offer 20 percent better fuel economy and emissions over a traditional gasoline-powered Rotary. The rear-wheel-drive coupe will take styling cues from the Taiki concept and a dash-mounted switch allows drivers to toggle between gasoline and hydrogen fuel systems. For city driving, the hydrogen setting will be employed, which will reduce fuel consumption (at the expense of a 20 percent drop in power), while the gasoline system can be employed when drivers desire more performance.

Mazda’s goal is to make the rotary engine’s performance, fuel economy and emissions up the level of gasoline-electric hybrids, and if AE’s sources are to be believed, the hydrogen-powered RX-9 should arrive in 2012. See photos after the jump Continued

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 Mazda has revealed the first official images of an all-new compact crossover vehicle called the Kazamai which will debut at the Moscow International Automobile Salon (MIAS) on Tuesday 26 August. According to Mazda, the Kazamai which means “swirling crosswinds” in Japanese gives us a good indication of where the company is going with a possible future compact crossover. The concept features a four-wheel drive powertrain that consists of a next-generation direct-injection engine and a newly-developed transmission.

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The design concept has the image of “intersecting winds” and is one aspect of an initiative the company has been pursuing to develop designs for the Japanese, U.S. and European markets that realize a natural flow the company calls “nagare,” which is Japanese for flow.

Mazda sold 58,000 vehicles in Russia in fiscal 2007 and expects sales to jump about 30 per cent to 78,000 vehicles in fiscal 2008.

This would make it Mazda’s best-selling market in Europe, surpassing Germany.

SUV sales in particular are growing in Russia. By introducing a concept car with a design that appeals to the younger generation, the automaker aims to enhance its brand image.

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