Mazda Motor Corporation held an opening ceremony today to mark the start of operations of its new vehicle testing ground - named the Mine Proving Ground - in Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in western Japan.

Distinguished guests from local government authorities, including the Deputy Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shigeji Wataya, and the Mayor of Mine (pronounced 'me-nay') City, Nobuo Kotake, attended the ceremony. Mazda President and CEO Hisakazu Imaki was also present, along with other senior Mazda executives.

"The Mine Proving Ground will play a very important role for Mazda in promoting the 'reinforcement of R&D,' one of the Mazda Momentum mid-term business plan's four key measures. It will function as another vehicle testing facility to complement the existing Miyoshi Proving Ground. After the Hofu plant, it is Mazda's second major business installation in the Yamaguchi area, which is what we are commemorating today with this opening ceremony. Mazda looks forward to the future growth and prosperity of Yamaguchi Prefecture, assisted by the contributions of these two business establishments," said Mazda CEO and President, Hisakazu Imaki, during his opening remarks.

Mazda has a manufacturing site in Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, consisting of two vehicle assembly plants and one transmission assembly plant. The Hofu plant complex is a core manufacturing site in the region, accounting for approximately 71 percent of Hofu City's, and roughly 13 percent of Yamaguchi Prefecture's, total value of manufactured goods shipped. The establishment of the Mine Proving Ground in Yamaguchi Prefecture reflects the increased importance of this area for Mazda Motor Corporation.

75th Anniversary Of Iconic ’32 Ford
16th May, 2006
A display of the 75 most significant ’32 Ford hot rods of all time will launch next year’s 75th anniversary of the celebrated 1932 Ford, a car known for its innovative engine and bold design ..... more

Evolution IX Going For Glory In WA
16th May, 2006
The ARC is already regarded as the premier national championship for showroom-class rally cars in the world and statistical analysis after this year's first round in Canberra points to just 14 seconds between the three main competing vehicle makes ..... more

Bill Ford's Speech To Shareholders
15th May, 2006
When Bill Ford speaks, shareholders listen ..... and so do others. Here's his speech from last week ..... more

GM Opens New European Design Centre
15th May, 2006
As part of General Motors’ continued focus on further strengthening product development, it, last week, opened a new European Design Centre in Rüsselsheim ..... more

Audi R8 makes a winning comeback in USA
15th May, 2006
Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) extended their American Le Mans Series lead in their "factory” Audi R8 at the inaugural Grand Prix in Houston (Texas) ..... more

The new Fiat, Peugeot, Citroën vans unveiled
12th May, 2006
This new generation of commercial vehicles sets new standards in terms of range variety, load capacity, performance, comfort and running costs ..... more

Nissan Adds Dual Airbags to Patrol Cab/Chassis Range
12th May, 2006
Nissan will add dual airbags to models in the Patrol Cab Chassis range from October. This additional safety feature upgrades the Patrol Cab Chassis to a specification standard its main competitors can’t match ..... more

Land Rover Celebrates The Queen's 80th At Royal Windsor
12th May, 2006
Starting yesterday The Royal Windsor Horse Show (11th – 14th May, 2006), in partnership with Land Rover, will be continuing the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations ..... more

Suzuki Motor Corporation Achieves Record High Net Sales
11th May, 2006
For the seventh consecutive year (fiscal April 05 - March 06), Suzuki Motor Corporation has recorded an increase in net sales, to achieve an impressive result of 2,746,453 million yen (approx $32.8 billion AUD) ..... more

Volkswagen TSI Claims International Engine Of The Year Award
11th May, 2006
The new engine concept featuring twin-charging with a supercharger and turbocharger has impressed experts from across the globe: the new 1.4-litre TSI 170 PS engine claimed two accolades at the International Engine of the Year Awards 2006 ..... more

GM and Renault pursue cooperation on LCVs
10th May, 2006
The cooperation between General Motors Europe (GME) and Renault is taking a further step forward with the release of new van versions for the two brands ..... more

Peugeot 206 - Now From $16,990 (RRP)
9th May, 2006
The Peugeot 206 XR 3-door variant has been added to the range, and at $16,990 (RRP) joins the five door, the 206 XR 5-door, which is priced at $17,990 (RRP) ..... more

The 365-Days-a-Year-Cabriolet - VW Eos
6th May, 2006
After more than one million VW convertibles - Beetle, Karmann Ghia, Golf and New Beetle series - the new Eos takes off to a flying start this month in Germany ..... more

Ford Australia Announces Major New Projects
5th May, 2006
Ford Australia has announced a new strategic direction for the company, including significant investment in new projects and accompanying facilities, totalling more than $1.8 billion (AUD) over the next decade ..... more

Aston Martin Reveals DBS
4th May, 2006
Details of the new DBS remain top secret, although Aston Martin Design Director, Marek Reichman, said: “This car encapsulates a link between our elegant DB9 road car and the powerful DBR9 race car ..... more

Mitsubishi 380 Improves Market Position
4th May, 2006
Mitsubishi Motors has maintained its market share in a tough April car market, while the 380 continued its gradual climb in the large car segment by recording a significant jump in market share from 10% to 12% during the last month ..... more

Car Market Turns Down as Petrol Prices Bite
3rd May, 2006
Record petrol prices appear to be taking a toll on the new motor vehicle market according to official figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries ..... more

Audi RS 4 Unleashed on Australian Soil
3rd May, 2006
New from the ground up, the RS 4 is the top-of-the-range model in the A4 series, priced at $164,500 ..... more

Six Speed Auto Boost for 407 HDi Models
1st May, 2006
A new high-tech six speed automatic transmission has been added to the latest Peugeot 407 HDi turbo diesel Sedan and Touring models ..... more

Focus XR5 Turbo Boosts Ford Performance Arsenal
21st April, 2006
Ford has revealed the latest weapon in its high performance arsenal – the Focus XR5 Turbo; engineered in Europe and boasting performance levels that will be the envy of many larger car drivers ..... more

All-New Suzuki XL7 Makes World Debut
14th April, 2006
Suzuki debuted the all-new Suzuki XL7 at the 2006 New York Motor Show. With the introduction of the new model, Suzuki is moving forward to the next chapter in its ongoing SUV success story ..... more

Bentley Continental GTC
13th April, 2006
The Continental GTC, Bentley Motors new luxury 2+2 convertible, will be unveiled at the New York International Automobile Show this week ..... more

New Line-Up for Land Rover Discovery 3
10th April, 2006
Land Rover is rationalising the Discovery 3 line-up adding as standard, leather interiors and automatic climate control on all models in the new range ..... more

Morgan 4-seater Returns
4th April, 2006
The new Morgan 4-seater models that made their debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2006 are now available for sale in Australia ..... more

Holden Unleashes Thunder Ute and Crewman
30th March, 2006
Holden’s ever-popular light commercial range now features special edition “Thunder” models for Ute and Crewman ..... more

Precious Metal - The Peugeot 407 Coupe
7th March, 2006
Peugeot have announced the pricing structure for the stunning new 407 Coupe, which goes on sale in Australia later this month ..... more