Join us Saturday for Treats, Beats and Red Tag Rollback pricing during the annual Metro Cruise. We’re delighted to host the West Michigan Mustang Club, with their bevvy of vintage beauts. DJ and tunes will be on tap by Marvin Mercury & The Galaxy.

We’ll have tables and seating available, but they fill up quickly, so you may wish to bring your own lawn chair for the best viewing of the day-long parade of automotive eye-candy!

Complementary hot dogs, brats, and refreshments will be available. The lot opens to the public at 10 a.m.

We hope you join us for this perennial favorite!

Mazda is preparing to launch an all-new compact crossover, loosely based on the Minagi Crossover Concept we’ve seen at recent auto shows. The new model will be called the CX-5 and it will make its official world premier at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

The Mazda CX-5 will introduce two very important elements. For starters, its sheet metal represents the automaker’s latest design theme, ‘KODO – Soul of Motion,’ which will eventually make its way across the Mazda lineup. Additionally, the CX-5 will feature Mazda’s latest SKYACTIV powertrain technologies, which ensure the crossover is just as efficient as it is fun-to-drive.

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Mazda has reported July sales of 20,783 vehicles, up slightly over the same period last year. Sales through the first half of this year are also up 4.9 percent compared to last year with 143,162 vehicles sold.

The stand-out model in Mazda’s lineup last month was the CX-7 crossover, which racked up 3,152 sales, up 18.9 percent versus last July 2010. Sales were so strong last month that it was the CX-7’s best July in four years.

Sales are also up 12.9 percent for Mazda’s larger CX-9 crossover. Additionally, the best-selling Mazda3 reported its best monthly sales since April of this year with 9,288 vehicles sold. The Mazda5 multi-activity vehicle’s year-to-date sales are up 22.2 percent.

The Mazda2 subcompact only offers 100 horsepower. But don’t let its engine specs fool you—it’s packed with Zoom Zoom fun.

Thanks to its lightweight chassis, its 100-horsepower 1.5-liter engine delivers. The Mazda2 comes with tons of fun-to-drive characteristics that don’t require the extra HP. On top of that, having such a small engine helps the Mazda2 perform with the pros in fuel efficiency, rated at 29 MPG City / 35 MPG Highway with a 5-speed manual transmission.

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Mazda is planning to launch an all-new plant in Mexico during the 2013 fiscal year. When it opens, the plant will serve as the automaker’s export base for North America and Europe.

“The size of Mexico’s market is a mere 900,000 units, but there’s a 40 million unit market behind this,” said Mazda Motor Corp. President Takashi Yamanouchi in an interview with the Mainichi Daily News.

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The only compact car to offer a big-time helping of “zoom-zoom” agility and performance—the Mazda3—set a major production mark recently, as global sales of Mazda’s best seller topped the 3 million mark. The Mazda3 reached this impressive milestone in less than 8 years, thanks in large part to its popularity in the North American market, where nearly 1.2 million customers have taken one home since 2003.

“Mazda3 embodies the three elements of Mazda’s DNA: distinctive design, exceptional functionality, and responsive handling and driving performance,” said Hirotaka Kanazawa, Mazda Motor Corporation’s senior managing executive officer in charge of R&D. “Continued global success has seen it grow into Mazda’s most popular model, comprising a third of all Mazda vehicle sales. Since the first-generation model appeared on the market, it has responded to the major changes in the automobile industry by inheriting and strengthening Mazda’s brand DNA while evolving exceptional environmental and safety performance.”

And that dedication to continuous improvement will again be in the spotlight this year, when the 2012 Mazda3 launches as the automaker’s first North American model to boast its cutting-edge SKYACTIV powertrain technologies. Leveraging Mazda innovations that allow the powerplant to run at a higher compression ratio without knocking, the new 2.0-liter engine in the updated Mazda3 will showcase a 15 percent increase in both fuel efficiency and torque. As a result, Mazda says it will deliver an EPA rating of 40 mpg highway while still providing the kind of responsive performance drivers expect from the Mazda3.

Added Kanazawa: “As the Mazda3 passes the three-million-unit mark, I would like to thank every customer for their support, and reaffirm our commitment to delivering outstanding environmental and safety performance balanced with driving pleasure that goes beyond your expectations.”

The next-generation Mazda MX-5 is expected to be losing plenty of weight to make it sporty and efficient. According to AutoCar, the next MX-5 will also gain a turbocharger to ensure plenty of power.

Mazda is reportedly aiming to cut the MX-5’s weight down to about 1,764 pounds. To do this, without sacrificing safety, the MX-5 will receive a smaller engine, lighter transmission, and even a heavily revised suspension system that reduces weight.

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The Mazda3 has just been named one of the 2011 “Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000” by Kelley Blue Book. This accolade marks the Mazda3’s eighth consecutive year making the list, a feat well worth celebrating. Kelley Blue Book selects vehicles for the list based on whether the vehicle is fun to drive, fun to own, and has that ever-important ‘cool factor’ – all while remaining under $18,000.

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Like all automakers, Mazda is quickly developing technologies that improve fuel economy as well as the brand’s eco credentials. However, Mazda is far smaller than some of its Japanese rivals, and doesn’t have the means to introduce advanced vehicles like the Prius, or vehicles to take on the latest slew of hybrids from Korea.

While a smaller firm like Mazda may appear to be falling behind when it comes to electric technology, the automaker is launching SKYACTIV technology to help its lineup stay green.

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Mazda’s stunning Shinari concept car will make its debut down under during the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne from July 1–10.

The Shinari Concept has already traveled to Shanghai, Los Angeles and Geneva, it’s now the turn of the Australian public to get close to Shinari, which embodies design elements that will make their way into future Mazda vehicles.

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