Mazda has been producing good cars for years, however they have not managed to break into the limelight like Toyota and Honda in terms of global sales figures. Now with tougher global competition, Mazda is looking to prove its wirth to the global consumer with a reliablity run. Mazda will be running 8 vehicles under an unconventional and extreme test drive from Hiroshima, Japan to Frankfurt, Germany. The grueling test drive dubbed as the ‘Mazda Route3 – Hiroshima to Frankfurt Challenger Tour 2013’ will see 8 Mazda3 hatchbacks travelling over 9,300 miles from the carmaker’s Hiroshima site to attend the 2013 International Motor Show in Frankfurt. The Mazda3 hatchback test cars will be powered by a 120ps SKYACTIV-G petrol engine mated to a six-speed SKYACTIV-MT manual transmission. The vehicles will be manned by journalists, bloggers and Mazda dealers and will cross nine time zones, five countries and two continents. The endurance test will provide ample opportunity for the drivers to become well acquainted with the all-new Mazda3 under a number of driving conditions. From Hiroshima, the Mazda Route3 convoy will cross the Sea of Japan in ferry to Vladivostok, Russia.
From the Russian port, the convoy will commence its main overland journey on August 3, 2013. Media and Mazda dealers from the United Kingdom will be among the first to drive the Mazda3 test fleet when they take part in the three legs from Vladivostok to Krasnoyars, traversing Blagoveshensk and Ulan-Ude.
Each of the seven legs of the Tour covers an average of over 1,300 miles and three to six days of travel. The convoy of 8 Mazda3 cars are bound to arrive at Frankfurt on September 7, 2013, three days before the 2013 International Motor Show opens. Mazda fans can follow the progress of the Mazda3 convoy on a dedicated Web site athttp://www.mazda.co.uk/mazdaroute3
