Honda Civic barely maintains No. 1 spot

I find it funny how everybody is riding Honda for delaying the redesign (to continue to leapfrog the market by 4 years) and how the newly redesigned (and nice I might add too) Mazda 3 has been gaining ground. If anything, this is a testament as to how good Honda engineering actually is, this 2010 (and soon to be 2011) is relatively unchanged since 2006, yet it is still extremely competitive, how many other manufacturers can you say have a 5yrs old car that still leads the market in sales. Having said that, I cannot wait to see what Honda has in store for the next gen Civic!
The Mazda3 is quickly gaining ground as the popular Honda compact awaits a redesign

Sales of the Honda Civic have crashed in Canada, though this stalwart compact has reclaimed the No. 1 sales spot among passenger cars. Barely.

The Civic has out-sold the Mazda3 by a mere 218 units through May of this year (21,690 to 21,472). However, Civic sales were down an astounding 40.6 per cent in May and are down 13.2 per cent on the year. The No. 2 Mazda3 is up 8.3 per cent on the year.

Honda does not plan to restyle and reengineer the Civic until next year, even as new versions of the Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra come to market early next year. The Civic faces a tough road ahead until a reinvented version arrives.

Still, to be fair, small cars overall are having a tough year. As DesRosiers points out, subcompacts are down 21.2 per cent year to date and compacts are down 0.1 per cent on the year.

“These are the two most energy efficient segments in Canada and have for more than a decade significantly out-performed the market,” Dennis DesRosiers of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants writes in a note to clients.

“I wonder,” he adds, “if all this talk about fuel efficient regulations is backfiring on our regulators, with consumers heading to the showroom to load up on the larger vehicles before the government forces compromises in their power train to achieve higher fuel efficiency standards.”
It could also be that less wealthy buyers, who tend to buy entry-level cars, are “still in trouble in our economy” and not buying at all, he notes. Or it may be that consumers are fully aware that a raft of new compact and subcompact models are coming in the next 12 months and are waiting for the latest in styling and engineering.

Source;

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/driving-it-home/honda-civic-barely-maintains-no-1-spot/article1623053/

Next Gen Mazda 3 gets New Look and More Power

Looks like a nice car.

The new 2010 Mazda3 Sedan has been unveiled ahead of its official launch at the LA Auto Show and the Nagare design cues are plain to see. The twisted arches and fat lip treatment leave the car looking better built and more refined than other compacts cars in the market.

The aggressive good looks translate into a new MZR 2.5 liter four cylinder borrowed from the larger all-new 2009 Mazda6. The new engine uses the same construction features as the 2.0 liter but pushes out 167HP (versus 148HP in the 2.0) and almost 170 lb-ft of torque. You can have the engine mated to either a five-speed manual, six-speed manual or a five-speed selectable automatic.

For the rest of the article;

http://japancarblog.com/2010-mazda3-sedan-redesigned-repowered/

Civic Competitor Mazda 3 gets full Makeover for 2010

Looks like Mazda will officially introduce their new 2010 Mazda 3 for Novemeber 19th at the LA Auto Show. This is a VERY important car to Mazda and it looks like it's going to be an impressive offering. Coincidently, Honda was expected to have the Civic go through a major model change in 2010, although with the minor model change that the Civic went through for 2009, I'd expect a 2011 date for the full Civic make over.

Mazda PRESS RELEASE

All-New Mazda3 Sedan to Debut at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show

HIROSHIMA, Japan-Mazda Motor Corporation has confirmed that the sedan version of the all-new Mazda3 (known as Mazda Axela in Japan), fully redesigned for the first time in 5 years, will be revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show*1 on November 19, 2008.

The covers will be pulled off during Mazda's press conference from 12:20 to 12:45 (local time) revealing the all-new Mazda3, the latest evolution of Mazda's Zoom-Zoom spirit.

All-new Mazda3 sedan (North American specification)

Every element of the all-new Mazda3 has been developed for heightened exhilaration, with a more refined sporty ride, top class fuel economy and quietness. Environmental and safety features, based on Mazda's long-term "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom" vision, aim to achieve a balance with fun-to-drive. Add in a new expressive face and Mazda's dynamic design elements, and the all-new Mazda3 is everything a driver could ask for in a sports compact.

The brand new version of Mazda's best-selling sports compact carries forward the heritage of Mazda and the pedigree of the current Mazda3. Since its launch in 2003, the current Mazda3 has sold approx. 1.8 million vehicles*2 in over 100 countries and has won more than 90 global motoring awards*3 to date. The Mazda3 accounts for almost one in three Mazdas sold every year.

Following the world debut of the North American specification sedan with 2.0- and 2.5-liter engines at the show, the five-door hatchback version will be revealed in line with Mazda's global sales schedule.

Source;
http://www.mazda.com/publicity/release/2008/200810/081009.html