MAR.-APR. 2008 VOL. 7 ISSUE 2 MAR.-APR. 2008 VOL. 7 ISSUE 2 MAR.-APR. 2008 VOL. 7 ISSUE 2 Mazda’s Inspired New Concept Cars PAGE 8 Racing for Pet Carving Out MX-5 Cup Making a Pitch Adoptions a Future in Design Shootout Winner for Mazda Page 2 Page 3 Page 6 Page 16 TheThe FamilyFamily ThatThat KartsKarts (and(and DrivesDrives Mazdas)Mazdas) TogetherTogether Mazda’s support of kart racing yields the business and loyalty of a Florida family. Since then Jarvis, now 14, has skyrocketed through the youth karting ranks. The family has traveled to races and champi- onships across the United States and to Dubai, Mexico, and Por- tugal. And Jarvis has already won several national titles. Last January, he was scheduled to compete in the annual Skip Bar- ber Karting Shoot-out in Sebring, FL, as the event’s youngest driver. His mom manages Jarvis's racing career and home school- ing, while brother Joey manages electronic data acquisition for the karts. “Dad,” laughs father Joe, “pays for everything.” Back home in Florida, last December, teenage daughter Jaime needed a new car while Joe sought to replace his pickup Photo by: Ken Johnson / soa-design.com truck, unnecessary since Jarvis joined a factory race team. An in- veterate Volkswagen family, they had their eyes set on a new hen Mazda announced its support of six important Jetta to replace Jaime’s aging one. But by lucky coincidence, lit- kart-racing organizations last year, the commitment erally next door to the VW dealer in Coral Springs was Coconut W was all about the company’s unique Motorsports Creek Mazda. “My wife said, ‘Mazda has sponsored so much Development Ladder System that links karting to the of Jarvis's racing, let’s go in.’” professional car-racing ranks. Now one karting family (among Sales Consultant Robin Weisman greeted them warmly, and 11 karting families who have purchased Mazdas in the last Joe explained what they needed and what the budget was. year), the Gennarises of Boca Raton, FL, have repaid Mazda in “She made me a great deal on a four-door MAZDA3 for kind with their purchase of twin MAZDA3s for father and Jaime,” he recalls. “In fact she made us such a great deal that daughter. The most impressive element of the their purchase I said, ‘I also like that red MAZDA3 five-door—what’s the gas was not just that it resulted in the sale of two vehicles in one mileage?’ So I bought it too. Robin didn’t know that I was will- day. Rather, it was the motive: The family is so appreciative of ing to spend at least as much as I would have for the Jetta and Mazda’s support of karting that they just wanted to give more. What was ironic was we saved money with Mazda.” something back. Are these great customers or what? As expected, the Gennarises loved the purchase experience The Gennaris family got involved in karting six years ago via as much as they are enjoying driving their new MAZDA3s. “The a typical scenario—father Joe and son Jarvis were looking for brand was well represented by Robin,” Joe says. “We spent something to do together. “My son was eight and liked fish- most of the day with her by the time the cars were prepped, ing, but I didn’t,” Joe explains. “I liked tinkering in motorsports and we all had a great time.” ■ and had put myself through school working in a speed shop. We bought a cadet (junior) kart from a guy who was selling Top, karting family (from left) Joe, Jean, Jarvis, and Jaime Gennaris, Christian Fittipaldi-brand karts, and that was it. Fittipaldi him- with dad and daughter's MAZDA3s, purchased at Coconut Creek self took Jarvis to his first race and Jarvis drove on the Fittipal- Mazda in Coral Springs, FL. Inset, Jarvis Gennaris behind the di team for the next four years.” wheel of his kart racer. CONTENTS 2 First Lap MAZDASPEED and Tri-Point Promote Pet Adoptions; FUEL Feedback 3 Spotlight Shaping the Future: The Mazda Design Challenge Winner 4 Pit Row Mazda Launches New Service Technician Recognition Program; 3 Top 25 Dealers – Parts and Service 5-7 Fast Track 2008 MAZDASPEED Motorsports Racing Preview; De Phillipi Wins 2008 Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-out; Rampelberg Goes Pro After Winning 2008 MX-5 Cup Shootout; Playboy to Sponsor 2008 MX-5 Cup Series 8-9 Cover Story Big Bang Theory: Mazda Introduces Two New Concept Cars and the Restyled 2009 RX-8 10- 11 Feature New CAFE Law Tightens Automotive Fuel Economy Standards; California Greenhouse Gas Program Waiver Request Denied 12 Feature 2008 Mazda CX-9 Named North American Truck of the Year 7 12 Gear Glitz Mazda’s New Dealer-Installed Accessory Window Label Pro- gram 13- 14 Front Line New Strategies for Successful New-Car Inventory Manage- ment; Building Customer Loyalty Training Tour; Top 25 Dealers – Sales; Top 25 Dealers – CPO 15-16 Final Stretch Mazda’s Recent Industry Awards and Accolades; National Insurance Crime Bureau’s Online VIN Check Service; Mazda Sponsors Annual Automotive Fine Arts Society Exhibit; Softball Clinic Connects with Up-and-Coming Athletes 10-11 8-9 Mazda FUEL® magazine is published by Mazda North American Operations and is an internal publication intended for employees of Mazda dealerships and Mazda North American Operations. Please address all correspondence to [email protected] or fax to (949) 727-6813. The content of Mazda FUEL magazine is prepared in accordance with the highest standards of journalistic accuracy and was deemed accurate when written. © 2008 Mazda North American Operations FIRSTLAP Earl and Mooch Go Racing MAZDASPEED, Tri-Point, and MUTTS comic characters team up to promote pet adoptions. to the benefits of shelter pet adoptions of puppies and kittens, full- grown dogs and cats, and even purebreds. And as The HSUS says, “Every adoption from a shelter is a life saved.” On the grid at Road Atlanta and again at Mazda Raceway Laguna MUTTS comic characters Mooch (left) and Earl Seca, drivers Jeff Altenburg and Randy Pobst hung out with cos- are helping MAZDASPEED, Tri-Point Engineering, tumed Earl and Mooch characters and promoted pet adoptions in and the Humane Society encourage pet adoptions. their interviews. They also visited the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) shelter in Monterey, CA, at the series’ veryone knows racers have nerves of steel. But they also have final round, where officials even named several animals Jeff, Randy, hearts of gold. This much was proven during the last two Zoom-Zoom, and Cosmo in honor of the MAZDASPEED team. Eevents of the 2007 SPEED World Challenge road-racing series, Taking it a step further, the MAZDA6 hoods, drivers’ suits, and orig- when Tri-Point Engineering’s championship-winning MAZDA6 inal MUTTS artwork were later auctioned off for charity. Overall, the racecars carried MUTTS comic-strip graphics to raise awareness of cooperative promotion between MAZDASPEED, McDonnell, and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) pet-adoption The Humane Society was a big hit, garnering positive input from program. MUTTS, an award-winning comic strip created by Patrick teams and fans alike—along with plenty of media exposure. McDonnell, appears daily in over 700 newspapers from more than “It is a real pleasure for Earl and Mooch to be part of the 20 countries. Featuring a pair of lovable household critters, Earl the MAZDASPEED Team,” McDonnell said. For more information on pet dog and Mooch the cat, it’s the perfect forum for exposing readers adoption, visit www.hsus.org. ■ FUELFEEDBACK f you want to get a sense of where a car company your interesting, funny, and/or outrageous Mazda- is headed, the annual North American related photos. International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS) is the Now, it’s your turn to make a contribution to JAN. - FEB. 2008 VOL. 7 ISSUE 1 ISSUE 7 VOL. 2008 - FEB. JAN. I scene. Based on Mazda’s showing at the 2008 NAIAS Mazda FUEL. Just fill out and mail the enclosed reply this past January, it’s evident that Mazda remains card or e-mail us at [email protected]. Re- IntroducingIntroducing twotwo newnew zeroed in on its bold path toward innovative, member, your great story ideas, photos, or other limited editions from MAZDA dynamic, and fluid design. But don’t take our word submissions could earn you a $100 American Ex- for it. See for yourself in this issue’s cover story about press Gift Cheque! Mazda’s exciting new concept cars, Furai and Taiki. 8 page Design is also key in this issue’s Spotlight, where “I really enjoyed the section on Mazda selling over we feature Mallory McMorrow, an aspiring young the Internet. With people doing all sorts of crazy A Look at El Dorado The Zoom-Zoom Mazda's Internet Sales Motorsports Family Page 13 automotive designer who won Mazda’s online con- things these days, it’s nice to know people realize that MAZDASPEED Page 11 Making Tracks 2007 Racing Recap inin MexicoMexico Page 10 Page 3 test for the opportunity to sculpt the vehicle of her Internet departments don’t have to be all about price. vision on stage at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Bringing people to a store through the Internet Show last November. Check out McMorrow’s work makes it a marketing tool. That is awesome.” of art on page 3. Jason Foresman Of course, interesting design can also take shape Internet Sales in non-traditional mediums, such as…hair? That’s Stan Olsen Mazda, Omaha, NE right, one of our readers (and our $100 American Ex- press Gift Cheque winner this issue)—James “Always Great!” Stafford, Sales Manager at Herzog-Meier Mazda in Greg Kimbrell Portland, OR—had his local barber shave the Sales Consultant “winged M” of the Mazda brand symbol into his Frank Bommarito Mazda, Ellisville, MO hair.