Mazda defines itself as an upstart challenger brand. And in a market where its competitors’ sales are stagnant, its are increasing. What’s the strategy behind this? An intentional move upscale.
Why Mazda is Moving Upmarket
Headlights on the Half Shell
For some time, finding a 1965 Buick Riviera with functioning headlights was a marvel akin to finding a pearl in a clam. Frank and Paul Duran changed that.
The third installment in my Car and Driver series on shops that repair obscure parts for vintage vehicles. Click on the image above (and then click again, if you want) to view a crappy scan. Or just subscribe to the magazine already you Chintzy Bltch.
Honda’s Electrification Plans
I chatted with Honda global CEO Toshihiro Mibe about the automaker’s long-term plans for electrifying its lineup, and how that has shifted significantly in the past year or so.
Honda Prelude First Drive
Why did Honda make the new Prelude? Because it brings the joy.
Joyous, Cheap, and Unobtainable
The Super-ONE was developed by Honda under the rubric of “Fun.” This designation is correct.
“Kryptonite? I don’t think it has one.”
“The only kryptonite is with the driver or the tuner,” says Deliwala.
Despite not really understanding how an internal combustion engine works, I wrote about tuning one of the most legendary ones, the Toyota 2JZ, for the latest issue of Road & Track.
The link above is to the online version, but you should really subscribe to the magazine already, you Chintzy Bltch.
What is the Future of Japanese Cars?
At the Tokyo Mobility Show, automakers provided more questions to this question than answers.
Analog is the New Luxury
In-car LCD screens from Mercedes, BMW, and Cadillac are now measured not in inches, but in feet, and continue to proliferate. With all this digitization and technology disconnecting drivers from the experience of driving, the latest trend in top-tier automobiles is direct and analog engagement. “Complexity and craftsmanship has become the real luxury,” says Bugatti CEO Maté Rimac.
How Slate Designed a $27,000 Electric Truck
“We started by thinking we would use known methods,” design lead Tisha Johnson says. “But our success really has to do with us just throwing out the playbook.”
How GM Invented Car Design
Because General Motors was essentially creating the discipline of “car designer”, there was no pipeline or institutions for training new automobile stylists. To scale up, in 1938 GM decided to create its own proprietary school and curriculum.
My first story for the beautiful new (Rory Carroll-helmed) automotive lifestyle publication, ALLOY. Check it out!