How the new compact Mazda 3 saloon will rival the Volkswagen Golf

apan's Mazda unveiled its new five-door small family hatchback simultaneously in five locations across the globe this week - including Britain.
So it was party time in London, Istanbul and St. Petersburg, New York and Melbourne.
Mazda said it chose the cities for their 'insightful, spirited and stylish character which were in keeping with the car's'.
Mazda Motor Europe President and chief executive Jeff Guyton said: 'Everything about the allnew Mazda 3 is exciting, from the way it looks and feels to its dynamic performance, nimble responsiveness, reliability and operating costs.'

The Mazda 3 is is powered by a new, superfrugal 99bhp 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G petrol engine that takes it from rest to 62 mph in 10.8 seconds

The firm hopes the new 'compact' Mazda 3 saloon, pictured, will rival the Volkswagen Golf and make up almost a third of global sales. It goes on sale in the UK this autumn from around £16,000.
It is powered by a new, superfrugal 99bhp 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G petrol engine that takes it from rest to 62 mph in 10.8 seconds and to a top speed of 113mph, as well as 118 bhp or 163 bhp 2-litre petrol units and a 2.2-litre diesel which will sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 8.1 seconds.

 

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Rocket boosters are just what David Cameron would like behind him as he accelerates towards the 2015 General Election.
So the chance to have the supersonic Bloodhound supercar with him in Downing Street, pictured left, was too tempting an offer to refuse. The £13m jet and rocketpropelled car not only aims to beat the current land speed record of 763mph next year, but also to be the first land vehicle to exceed 1,000mph by election year 2015.
The Prime Minister used the occasion - along with world speed record-holder Wing Commander Andy Green, who will pilot the Bloodhound in the attempts in South Africa, to launch a new multi-million apprenticeship scheme which aims to produce an extra 100,000 engineering technicians by 2018, alongside existing apprentices and pupils from Barclay School in Stevenage, Herts.
The Bloodhound SSC project - sponsored by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers - aims to inspire the next generation of British engineers and scientists.
Mr Cameron said: 'British engineering and innovation are a part of our history and we are rightly proud that our engineering excellence continues to change the world we live in for the better. Bloodhound is a fantastic example of what our engineers can achieve.'

 

Elmbridge, in leafy Surrey, has been crowned the convertible capital of Britain.
The borough, which includes Esher, Claygate, Weybridge, Oxshott and Walton-on-Thames, and has been dubbed 'the Beverly Hills of Britain' has more soft-tops per head of population than anywhere in the country. More than 5,300 convertibles are registered there, or one for around every 25 residents.
High-profile residents include exfootballer Jamie Redknapp and his pop-star wife Louise, and, aptly enough, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host Chris Tarrant.
Elmbridge was followed closely by the City of London, South Bucks in Buckinghamshire and Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire.
By contrast, rain-soaked Eilean Siar in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, has the fewest convertibles per person - with one for every 468 residents. It was followed by the Shetlands with one per 393 inhabitants, the Orkneys at 365, the London boroughs of Newham (288) and Hackney (214), the Isles of Scilly (200), and Manchester (190).
The research was undertaken by French car-maker Citroen to coincide with the launch of its new DS3 Cabrio, the soft-top version of the popular DS3 hatchback.
Britain's 900,000 convertibles make up around three per cent of all registered cars.

 

Ford's revolutionary new 'wi-fi' brake lights warn other drivers to slow down to avoid a rear-end shunt - even when they can't see why.

The system knows when cars out of sight around a blind corner - or even hidden in traffic in front of a large bus or van - are hitting the brakes and warns drivers behind to do likewise to avoid a crash.

Ford has been using specially equipped S-MAX models to test the technology. When the car in front brakes, it sends a wi-fi signal from its illuminated brake light to any other cars behind which have the same system, giving those drivers a dashboard warning.

The system works in a fraction of a second, even when the first braking car is out of sight.

 

More than nine in ten drivers don't trust ministers to keep their word over plans to cut motoring taxes in return for introducing controversial new road tolls to fix Britain's crumbling roads, a report reveals.

Two thirds of convertible owners in Britain either never or rarely put their roofs down

Only one in 16 motorists (6 per cent) believes the Government would play fair over bringing in pay-as-you-drive schemes, says the RAC Foundation's research.
The findings indicate that the main stumbling block to roadtolling or road pricing is not motorists' objections to the principle, but rather scepticism and complete distrust in governments of all complexions to keep their word if such schemes are brought in.
Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: 'There are a thousand ways to word a question but the results of this survey seem crystal clear.
'However you ask them, the British public do not trust ministers when it comes to motoring taxation.'