Ford Kuga-Based Mazda Tribute to Arrive in 2011?

With several new vehicles in its lineup and a determined focus on improving its gasoline engines to increase fuel economy, Mazda seems poised to take advantage of automobile-starved consumers once the market rebounds. In the next two to three years, Mazda will reportedly introduce an all-new Tribute based on the Ford Kuga crossover, as well as a Mazda5 minivan with styling cues from the Nagare concept.

The current Mazda Tribute is a twin of the Ford Escape, which the two automakers jointly developed and released simultaneously. According to Automotive News, the future models of both vehicles will again be identical, but Ford’s C1 platform will be used. C1 was developed by engineers from Ford, Mazda, and Volvo, and currently underpins the stylish Kuga compact crossover sold in overseas, in addition to the Mazda3 and the European Focus. The next-gen Mazda Tribute is expected to arrive in 2011 as a 2012 model.

Minivan buyers will be happy to know that a second-generation Mazda5 is also reportedly in the works, and may debut as soon as next year. Unidentified sources told Automotive News that the 2011 Mazda5 will adapt styling cues first seen on the Nagare concept car that debuted at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show.

“Nagare is a celebration of proportions and surface language that will evolve into subsequent designs planned for presentation at future international auto shows,” said Mazda’s global design director at the time, Laurens van den Acker. “Nagare examines light and shadow and begins to reveal the global design cues for the next generation of Mazda vehicles.”

Automotive News also suggests that the redesign of the RX-8 has been pushed back to the 2013 model year. The RX-8′s rotary engine will reportedly grow from 1.3 liters to 1.6 liters, and may shrink to a two-door body style. The displacement increase for the rotary engine would be the first in the20 years since the engine’s debut.

Source: Automotive News