Mazda Dominates 2026 Newsweek Readers' Choice Awards

Hey there Mazda fans,

Welcome to this month’s Classic Mazda newsletter. Catch up on past issues at news.classicmazda.com.

Here’s what we’ve got for you this month:

• Newsweek Readers Confirm what We Already Knew

• Is the Rotary Engine coming back?

• Mazda MX-5 Cup

• the latest Mazda News

Five for Five: the People Have Spoken

We already know how good the current Mazda lineup is, but it’s always nice when the rest of the country also agrees with us. Newsweek just released the results of their 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards™, and Mazda essentially cleaned out the trophy case.

After a four-week public voting period (no cheating!), the 2026 Newsweek Readers crowned Mazda across five major categories:

• Best Car Brand: Mazda

• Best SUV Brand: Mazda

• Best Dealership Experience: Mazda

• Best New Car: the Mazda3

• Best New SUV: the Mazda CX-5

Wow, Mazda really did win everything (not actually everything but it was close).

If you’ve ever listened to a Mazda designer talk for more than five minutes (or you’ve read our other newsletters), you’ve probably heard some heavy Japanese philosophy like Kodo: Soul of Motion: the idea that a car should look like a living, breathing creature ready to pounce!

And you’ve probably also heard about Jinba ittai, a phrase that literally translates to “horse and rider as one”. In modern terms: the bond between a driver and their machine.

So what’s all that mean? It means Mazda got rid of the visual clutter from the driver’s seat and they obsessed over human-centric ergonomics!

Details that other brands overlook like aligning the pedals and steering wheel so your posture doesn't suffer in traffic were studied to feel effortless and natural.

And while much of the auto industry has focused on frustrating trends like getting rid of most physical buttons for laggy touchscreen menus, or my personal pet peeve: tacky, non-functional plastic vents to make a commuter car look “aggressive”, Mazda went the opposite direction.

By sticking to a design philosophy that is genuinely timeless, Mazda has quietly made vehicles intuitive enough for everyone from Mom to dear Grandma to drive.

As Newsweek readers just proved, everyday American drivers are taking notice of Mazda delivering luxury-level craftsmanship at an accessible price point.

Is Mazda Finally Bringing the Rotary Engine back???

If you’re here then you’re a Mazda person. And you already know that the absolute holy grail for every Mazda enthusiast is to see the historic, and quirky, Wankel Rotary engine make a comeback with modern technology inside a new sports car.

You see…we’ve been waiting a long time since the Mazda RX-8 stopped production in 2012. Oh and who could forget those BRAPBRAPBRAPBRAP sounds? The stuff of legends.

It’s been 14 long years since we last saw a new rotary engine in America. For context, that means Mazda enthusiasts have been waiting longer than the gaming community has been waiting for GTA 6 (13 years btw - where my gamers at?).

And while nothing is written in stone, a recent patent filing from none other than Mazda to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seems to indicate that the automaker is up to something VERY COOL!

Mazda has designed a completely new exhaust gas recirculation system (also known as EGR). This new system would split the exhaust pathways between the side and peripheral ports of the rotary housing.

This new patent specifically tackles the rotary engine’s biggest historical enemy: Modern Emissions Standards.

And now in Plain English for the rest of us:

The really hot air that is being pushed out of the engine gets pulled into a turbocharger for more power while the cooler air exhaust is redirected back to the engine block and through a dedicated EGR cooler to cut emissions down. That’s the idea, anyways.

While this doesn’t mean a new RX-series sports car is launching next week, it does confirm to American fans that Mazda engineers have not given up on the rotary engine and neither should we.

Hopefully at the next Classic Mazda Race Exhibition Event we can all join hands and manifest the Mazda RX-9. (not a real car…yet!).

Bumper to Bumper Drama at VIR: MX-5 Cup Recap!

The Mazda MX-5 Cup brought pure adrenaline and sweltering summer heat to VIRginia International Raceway for Rounds 9 and 10, delivering wild restarts, pack racing, and a photo-finish. Yeah, it was THAT kind of weekend.

For Race 1, Championship points leader Adakonis No. 23 claimed his 3rd win of the year after a crazy duel up front, fending off two-time champ Jared Thomas and teammate Jeremy Fletcher.

For Race 2, a late-race caution flag set up an insane one-lap shootout where all bets were off. Noah Harmon No. 12 held off a hard-charging Thomas in what essentially ended up being a straight-up drag race, winning by a razor-thin margin of 0.07 seconds. Wild, I know.

How is BSI Racing doing?

Our friends at BSI Racing completely owned the over-40 class this past weekend, sweeping the Takumi Award in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races. And Ellie Gossett of BSI Racing navigated the craziest race of Saturday to earn the Highest Finishing Female Award!

Now it’s on to the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Rounds 11 and 12 on September 18th - 20th.

• Mazda data shows most moms want the perfect Drive

• Third Consecutive Year for Mazda leading Top Safety Awards

• Mazda launches all-new CX-5 Film campaign inspired by Hollywood

• 09/05 - Old Town Classic Car Show

• 09/05- Cars, Coffee, and Chrome

• 09/06 - Orlando Cars and Coffee Sanford

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