Mazda Previews Straight-six, Affirms Upcoming Crossover With Toyota Hybrid System

Mazda previews straight-six, affirms upcoming crossover with Toyota hybrid system

Buried in Mazda's generally bleak second-quarter earnings report were a few juicy nuggets of news. Though the company had an operating loss of $502 million and sales are down 21 percent in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hiroshima-based firm has big plans for the future. Enthusiasts and environmentalists alike should take note.

Firstly, Mazda showed an image of its upcoming straight-six engine. Essentially, it's the SkyActiv four that powers all of Mazda's current lineup, but with two additional cylinders. Unsurprisingly, the company says that it can be engineered to fit any of the current SkyActiv guises — the standard octane-variable gasoline powered G, the diesel D, and the sparkless-ignition X. The big six will pair with a new eight-speed automatic and can be combined with either a plug-in or 48-volt mild hybrid system, promising big power and efficiency.

Nintendo Recommends You Charge Your Switch At Least Once Every Six Months

Nintendo Recommends You Charge Your Switch At Least Once Every Six Months

If you haven’t been playing your Nintendo Switch for a while, there is a chance you might have packed it away somewhere. However, it seems that according to a tweet by Nintendo Japan, the company is actually recommending that gamers charge their Switch consoles at least once every six months.

The company is warning that consoles that go for longer than six months without charging might somehow get spoilt and that when gamers try to charge it again, it won’t work. If you are actively playing your Switch, there’s a good chance it’s left in the dock which means that it should always be charging, so this isn’t an issue.

Six Interesting Things To Do While Gambling In Japan

Six Interesting Things to do While Gambling in JapanJapan is a country with a rich culture and history. A lot of attractions are available for locals and enthusiastic travelers to be entertained in the Asian country, often referred to as the Land of The Rising Sun. For travelers who love to gamble, they can be forgiven for thinking that they will be deprived of their hobbies while traveling to this fascinating nation.

Mazda6 Rumored To Get Straight-six And Rear-wheel Drive

Mazda6 rumored to get straight-six and rear-wheel drive

Last June, Japan's Best Car magazine laid out what we considered a whopper series of rumors about future Mazda developments. The mag said it had been speaking to a Toyota source on an unrelated matter, and found out that Mazda's work on a straight-six Skyactiv engine was predicated on that engine's use in Toyota Group vehicles, including Lexus models. Car and Driver has apparently consulted its own sources, and in a new report utters many of the same pronouncements as Best Car. The next-generation Mazda6, due around 2022, will molt out of its transverse engines on a front-driver platform, and be the first home for the longitudinally-mounted straight-six on the automaker's new rear-wheel drive "Large Architecture." 

The gas-powered Skyactiv-X six-cylinder, a shade under 3 liters of displacement, will get help from a 48-volt hybrid system, and top output could hit 350 horsepower. A second straight-six will come in an oil-burning Skyactiv-D flavor, and PHEVs are certain to eventually factor into the equations.

2021 Toyota Supra Gets A Four-cylinder And More Power For The Inline-six

2021 Toyota Supra gets a four-cylinder and more power for the inline-six

The 2020 Toyota Supra finally went on sale last year as one of the most controversial new sports cars in a long time. For 2021, Toyota is adding a couple wrinkles to the Supra equation.

The biggest news for the 2021 Toyota Supra is the arrival of a turbocharged four-cylinder model called Supra 2.0. Instead of the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, this Supra is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (sourced from BMW, just like the six). The four-cylinder makes 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and Toyota claims a 0-60 mph time of 5.0 seconds. This is the same 2.0-liter turbo that's in the BMW Z4 30i.

Six More Infections Confirmed On Cruise Ship

Six more infections confirmed on cruise ship

Japan's health ministry says six more people on a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo are infected with the new coronavirus.

The number of cases found on the Diamond Princess has risen to 70, excluding a Hong Kong man who tested positive for the virus after he disembarked.

Six Months Till Tokyo Olympics Kick Off

Six months till Tokyo Olympics kick off

Friday marks six months before the world descends upon Japan for the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In a span of 17 days, thousands of athletes will compete in a record 339 events across 33 sports.

Preparations are gaining momentum. The new National stadium officially opened on New Year's day. Built inside Tokyo's urban greenbelt, it's earned the nickname "the stadium in the forest."

Renault Shares Hit Six-year Low On Rumors Of Nissan Split

Renault shares hit six-year low on rumors of Nissan split

LONDON — Renault shares hit six-year lows on Monday after a media report that Nissan has accelerated secret contingency planning for a potential split from the French carmaker, the latest sign that the downfall of former boss Carlos Ghosn is roiling the 20-year alliance. At 1027 GMT, the shares were down 3.7%, languishing at the bottom of Paris' CAC 40 and the pan European STOXX 600 index. The plans include war-gaming a total split in engineering and manufacturing, as well as changes to Nissan's board, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Sunday citing several sources. Nissan's contingency planning has ramped up since the dramatic escape of Ghosn, the former head of the Renault-Nissan  alliance, from Japan in late December, it said. The tie-up has been in management turmoil since Ghosn's arrest in Tokyo in November 2018 on allegations of financial misconduct, which he denies. He was awaiting trial in Japan when he fled to Lebanon. "We firmly believe the relationship between (Renault and Nissan) and hence the Alliance is broken and is likely beyond the point of repair," Evercore ISI analysts Arndt Elinghorst and Chris McNally wrote in a note on Monday. They have an 'underperform' rating on the French car company. Renault was not available for immediate comment.