In the era of small-displacement turbocharging and motor "rushing", as the last car company that insists on naturally aspirated engines, the persistence and awe of control has become the most touching spiritual core of the brand.
On September 26th, Mazda finally unveiled the heaviest "brand" this year, a new generation of compact car Changan Mazda (||). The new car has launched seven models, the price is 115,900-168,900 yuan, which is 10,000 yuan lower than the previous pre-sale price (125,900-165,800 yuan), which is almost the same as the guide price of the old models.
As soon as the price came out, the press conference became a large-scale real fragrance scene for "horse fans", and the industry’s concerns about "overconfidence" in pricing Angkor Wat were swept away.
In fact, for most consumers, 120,000 to 170,000 yuan does not have much advantage, and Mazda’s sales strategy in the domestic market has always been to insist on bicycle profit and not to lower the price. In addition, at this level, there were (||), (|| |), (|| |) and other "big screen" cars before, and then there were diversions. Mazda 3 Angkeira, which is five years old, can still maintain the monthly sales of about 7,000 vehicles. Even if it is replaced soon, it will not affect the sales performance in August. It is not difficult to see the "stickiness" of anquela fans in the domestic market.
On a global scale, (||) is also the best "endorsement" of Mazda brand. The data shows that up to now, the global sales volume of Mazda 3 Angkor Sela has reached 6 million units. This phenomenal car once became a family car totem for sports and manipulation.
Interestingly, at this conference, Mazda responded to the voice of "questioning" from the outside world, listed the so-called "four major sins", and expounded the highlights of the new upgrade.
For example, "the engine is an old model, and the soup is not changed." Although the much-anticipated SKYAIV-X did not arrive as scheduled, the SKYACTIV-G high compression ratio in-cylinder direct injection engine equipped with the new (||)Sela has also been significantly improved. Optimization. By optimizing the piston shape and ignition timing, upgrading the high-pressure three-stage injection technology and installing a high-diffusion injector, the combustion is more complete and the power output is more direct, which fully meets the national sixth B emission standard.
In terms of power, the new Mazda 3 Angkeira continues to be equipped with two naturally aspirated engines of the current model, 1.5L and 2.0L, with maximum horsepower of 117 and 158 respectively.
As we all know, while most car companies are committed to developing small-displacement turbocharged engines that meet emission standards, Mazda, which has always focused on creating driving pleasure, has become one of the few car companies that insist on naturally aspirated engines. In Mazda’s view, a car lost control and almost lost its soul, but at the same time, it had to take into account fuel consumption and efficiency, so SKYACTIV technology came into being.
The so-called Chuangchi blue sky technology, the biggest highlight is to achieve a high compression ratio of the engine, which not only maximizes fuel efficiency, but also saves fuel like a textbook. Since 2015, Sky Sky technology has been widely used in Mazda’s production models. In the following two years, Mazda’s sales in China continued to grow year-on-year. By the end of 2018, China had sold more than 1.14 million vehicles equipped with Chuangchi Blue Sky technology.
Apart from the engine, the most unacceptable thing for fans is that the rear suspension system of the new Mazda 3 Angkeira has been changed from the multi-link independent suspension of the current model to the torsion beam non-independent suspension, which really makes many consumers puzzled. In this regard, Mazda did not hesitate to explain that the SEB suspension on the new car is a technical patent specially developed by Mazda to realize the SKY-VA technology platform. Compared with the traditional suspension structure, SEB suspension has three characteristics: variable cross-section butterfly wing (the diameter of middle section and outer section is different), double-layer structure and seamless welding technology.
However, due to its unique structure, domestic component factories cannot meet the technical requirements. At present, SEB suspension is made by Nippon Steel of Japan, and all of them are imported. Therefore, the statement that the new Mazda 3 Angkeira "changed many connecting rods into torsion beams" to save costs is also "self-defeating".
Another example is the so-called "Japanese cars are unsafe". The new Mazda 3 Angkor Sela comes standard with 7 airbags and knee airbags. At present, this level of products are only equipped with (||)/(||) under TNGA architecture. Secondly, the new car also uses the world’s first 1310MPa high-strength steel cold-formed parts. The utilization rate of 590MPa high-strength steel on the car body is as high as 54%, ranking first in the same class.
Moreover, in terms of safety configuration, the new Angkor Williamson is also equipped with an upgraded i-ACTIV intelligent safety assistance system, including adaptive cruise, lane departure/maintenance, intelligent brake assistance, blind spot detection, reversing warning and other functions.
After the "four major crimes", it has returned to the advantages of Mazda 3 Angkeira, and its most distinctive design is particularly worth mentioning. The new car is equipped with a matrix air intake grille (with active opening and closing function), as well as a newly designed "soul wing" chrome trim strip and LED headlights (fog lamp integrated design). The front face design is simple, atmospheric and refreshing without losing the aesthetic feeling of science and technology. Especially the smart and beautiful side lines, the height of the front is reduced by 30mm, which echoes the rear. All adopt horizontal design, showing the beauty of coupe. On the brand-new Mazda 3 Angkeira, the "Soul Motion" design language, which has won the global annual design car award and the red dot design award for many times, has been upgraded to version 2.0.
On the whole, the new Mazda 3 Angkeira is still the familiar set of "creating blue sky technology+soul design". If you compare it to a fragrant rose, the "thorn" of this rose is equally sharp.
The first thing that bears the brunt is Mazda’s criticized air ride. You know, in terms of size, compared with the previous generation, the new generation Mazda 3 Angkeira adopted a "lateral adjustment" sedan shape. /1445mm, and the wheelbase is 2726mm. However, even if the wheelbase is optimized in data, the rear space of the new Angklin Morson has not been greatly improved, especially the protrusion in the middle of the rear seat, which has a great influence on the rear space. Ride comfort is hard to cater to China consumers who like "big seats".
Secondly, while most car companies are pursuing a cool central control screen and a highly intelligent car networking, Mazda has adopted an 8.8-inch central control screen. As for the in-vehicle system, the biggest role may be to support the interconnection mapping between Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
In terms of sales volume, Mazda’s annual sales volume in China is maintained at the order of 300,000 vehicles, which also makes the brand adhere to the development route of "small but beautiful". Take the brand-new Mazda 3 Angkeira as an example. Like its predecessor, its advantages and disadvantages are equally prominent, just like a rose with thorns, and lovers need not say more.
