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Mazda Skyactiv-Z: Why Gas Engines Still Matter in 2027

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Mazda is keeping combustion engines at the center of its strategy while adding hybrid technology, with the new Skyactiv-Z set to debut in the CX-5 in 2027.

Mazda is choosing a different path to electrification

Mazda is not abandoning gasoline engines.

The company is continuing with a multi-solution strategy that combines combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles. Mazda says the goal is to match the powertrain to the customer and the market rather than use one solution everywhere.

That approach is especially relevant in the United States.

Mazda continues to sell gasoline-powered vehicles across its U.S. lineup while expanding its hybrid offerings. The company currently lists models such as the CX-50 Hybrid alongside gasoline-powered CX-5, CX-70, CX-90 and MX-5 models.

The CX-5 will become the first Mazda model to use the new Skyactiv-Z engine with Mazda’s own hybrid system.

Mazda wants combustion and electrification to work together

Mazda calls this a multi-solution approach.

The strategy allows the company to use different combinations of engines and electric technology depending on the vehicle and market. Mazda says it is continuing to develop gasoline engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs at the same time.

The company’s 2025 technology briefing described Skyactiv-Z as the next step toward an ideal combustion engine. Mazda says its engineers are expanding combustion technology developed for Skyactiv-X while targeting stronger fuel economy and performance.

That is a major reason why the engine matters.

Skyactiv-Z is not simply another update to an existing gasoline engine. Mazda sees it as a technological base that can support future electrified powertrains.

Skyactiv-Z is part of Mazda’s effort to extend combustion-engine technology while improving efficiency.

The company also plans to spread the technology beyond the four-cylinder engine.

Mazda says Skyactiv-Z combustion technology will be applied to its inline-six engines for larger vehicles. The same technology is also expected to support development work involving Mazda’s rotary engine.

That gives the project significance across the lineup.

The goal is not simply to keep one engine alive. Mazda wants to use the technology across several powertrain families.

Mazda’s history supports the strategy

This approach is consistent with Mazda’s history.

The company has repeatedly invested in unconventional combustion technology. Skyactiv-X was one of its most notable examples. It introduced spark-controlled compression ignition to a production gasoline engine.

Mazda has also continued developing rotary-engine technology.

The latest production application uses the rotary as a range extender, showing how the company can combine combustion technology with electrification rather than treating the two systems as opposites.

That philosophy is now being applied to Skyactiv-Z.

Mazda wants the combustion engine to become cleaner and more efficient while electric motors provide additional assistance where they deliver the most benefit.

The U.S. remains important for combustion engines

The United States is an important part of Mazda’s reasoning.

Mazda’s U.S. operation continues to sell a broad gasoline lineup. Its current CX-5, for example, uses a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder, while the CX-70 and CX-90 offer turbocharged inline-six engines.

The MX-5 Miata also continues with a 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive.

That means Mazda’s commitment to combustion technology is already visible in the American market.

Skyactiv-Z will take that approach into the next generation.

The CX-5 is particularly important because Mazda says it is the brand’s best-selling vehicle in the United States. More than 1.6 million CX-5 models have been sold in the U.S. since the nameplate launched in 2012.

The MX-5 Miata remains one of Mazda’s clearest examples of the brand’s continued commitment to lightweight combustion-powered sports cars.

Mazda’s strategy does have limits.

The company is not saying EVs are irrelevant. It is continuing to develop electric vehicles through partnerships while expanding its own electrification technologies.

The difference is that Mazda does not want to eliminate combustion engines before market conditions require it.

That leaves the company with more than one technology path.

Skyactiv-Z could define Mazda’s next decade

The arrival of Skyactiv-Z will be an important test of that philosophy.

The engine is planned for the 2027 CX-5, where it will work with Mazda’s in-house hybrid system. Mazda also intends to apply the technology to larger engines and future powertrain development.

For Mazda, the objective is not simply to keep selling gasoline cars.

It is to make combustion technology more efficient, more flexible and better integrated with electrification.

That is why the Mazda Skyactiv-Z matters. The new engine represents the company’s attempt to extend the life of combustion power while using hybrid technology to move toward a more electrified lineup.

Mazda is not choosing between gasoline and electric power yet. It is choosing to develop both, with the customer and the market determining which solution makes the most sense.

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2027 Volkswagen ID. Tiguan Replaces the ID.4 in the U.S.

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Volkswagen is replacing the ID.4 with the new ID. Tiguan, an electric SUV that will also succeed the ID.4 in North America after its European launch in early 2027.

Volkswagen is replacing the ID.4 with the new ID. Tiguan, an electric SUV that will also succeed the ID.4 in North America after its European launch in early 2027.

Volkswagen gives its electric SUV a familiar name

Volkswagen is giving its electric SUV strategy a major change for 2027.

The Volkswagen ID. Tiguan will replace the ID.4 nameplate. It will also sit alongside the regular Tiguan, which continues with combustion and hybrid powertrains.

The move is part of Volkswagen’s broader shift toward using established names for new electric models. The ID. Polo and ID. Cross follow the same approach.

The new ID. Tiguan will make its global debut in early October. Volkswagen says it will arrive in markets at the beginning of 2027.

The near-production ID. Tiguan is still wearing camouflage ahead of its October debut.

The name is important because the Tiguan is one of Volkswagen’s best-known SUVs.

Volkswagen says more than 8.3 million Tiguans have been produced. The company wants that recognition to carry into the electric era.

The ID. Tiguan is not the electric version of the regular Tiguan

Despite the shared name, the two SUVs remain technically separate.

The electric ID. Tiguan uses Volkswagen’s MEB electric architecture. The gasoline, diesel and plug-in hybrid Tiguan uses the company’s MQB-based architecture.

That means the two vehicles are not simply different powertrain versions of the same SUV.

Volkswagen will continue selling both models at the same time. The conventional Tiguan will keep its combustion and hybrid options, while the ID. Tiguan focuses entirely on electric propulsion.

This approach also gives Volkswagen more flexibility while EV adoption develops at different speeds around the world.

A major redesign is coming

The name is not the only change.

The new ID. Tiguan receives a completely revised exterior design. Volkswagen says the vehicle will have a stronger visual presence and a more substantial appearance than the outgoing electric SUV.

The camouflaged prototypes already show some of the changes.

The front and rear sections have been redesigned. The lighting is also expected to follow the newer visual language already introduced by other Volkswagen electric models.

The rear design uses a more upright shape while keeping the proportions of a compact electric SUV.

The profile remains familiar.

The ID. Tiguan keeps the basic crossover proportions associated with the ID.4. However, the new bodywork gives the vehicle a more conventional Volkswagen SUV appearance.

That is an important change.

Volkswagen is trying to make its electric models easier to identify as part of the wider brand. Reusing established names is one part of that strategy. The new styling is another.

The interior gets more physical controls

The cabin is expected to receive one of the biggest changes.

Prototype images show a larger digital instrument cluster and a redesigned central display. More importantly, Volkswagen is bringing back more physical controls.

The touch slider used in the ID.4 is being removed. A row of physical buttons is expected below the center screen.

The steering wheel also receives physical buttons instead of the previous touch-sensitive controls.

These changes follow a clear direction from Volkswagen. The company has been moving away from an interior dominated by touch controls after repeated criticism from customers.

The production ID. Tiguan will reveal the complete dashboard in October.

Volkswagen is continuing final development and testing before the ID. Tiguan’s public premiere.

The biggest technical specifications are still being kept under wraps.

Volkswagen has not yet published final battery sizes, EPA range figures, U.S. horsepower ratings or pricing for the ID. Tiguan.

Those details are expected around the world premiere in early October.

That is important for the U.S. market because Volkswagen has not yet published a separate North American specification sheet.

The ID. Tiguan is coming to North America

The U.S. connection is clear.

A Volkswagen spokesperson confirmed that the ID. Tiguan is planned to succeed the ID.4 in the North American market. The company says the European launch will come first in early 2027, with North American timing and market-specific information to follow.

That makes the ID. Tiguan an important vehicle for Volkswagen in the United States.

The ID.4 is no longer the company’s long-term electric SUV answer for North America. The new model will take over that role while using a name already familiar to American SUV buyers.

Volkswagen’s U.S. website currently lists the conventional 2026 Tiguan alongside the 2026 ID.4, showing how the two lineups currently coexist.

Volkswagen is changing more than the name

The ID. Tiguan represents a broader change in Volkswagen’s electric strategy.

The company is moving away from a lineup dominated by numbered ID models. Instead, new electric vehicles increasingly receive recognizable names such as Polo and Tiguan.

That could make the electric range easier for mainstream customers to understand.

The ID. Tiguan also gives Volkswagen a chance to address several criticisms aimed at the ID.4. The exterior is more conventional, the interior returns physical controls and the Tiguan name connects the EV directly with one of Volkswagen’s best-known SUVs.

For American buyers, the most important point is already confirmed.

The 2027 Volkswagen ID. Tiguan will succeed the ID.4 in the North American market, although Volkswagen has not yet announced the exact U.S. launch date, specifications or pricing.

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2027 Subaru WRX GD25 and BRZ ZC15 Go Manual-Only

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Subaru is celebrating 25 years of the WRX in America and 15 years of the BRZ with two limited-production, manual-only special editions for 2027.

Subaru brings back two enthusiast-focused editions

Subaru has unveiled the 2027 WRX GD25 and 2027 BRZ ZC15 at Boxerfest 2026 in York, Pennsylvania.

Both models celebrate important milestones in the U.S. The WRX marks 25 years in America, while the BRZ reaches 15 years. Their names also reference the original chassis codes.

Production will be limited to 350 WRX GD25 units and 300 BRZ ZC15 units. Subaru also confirms that both editions will use a six-speed manual transmission.

The WRX GD25 combines World Rally Blue paint, gold wheels and a large carbon-fiber rear wing.

2027 Subaru WRX GD25

The WRX GD25 is finished exclusively in World Rally Blue.

It also gets gold 19-inch wheels, upgraded Brembo brakes and Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires. Subaru adds stiffer springs and revised damping to sharpen the chassis.

The standout feature is the rear wing.

It is a dry-carbon-fiber swan-neck wing from Subaru Tecnica International, the same component used on Travis Pastrana’s WRX ARA25L rally car. A flexible strut tower bar adds more rigidity at the front.

The engine remains familiar.

The GD25 uses a 2.4-liter turbocharged SUBARU BOXER engine with 271 horsepower. Power goes through a six-speed manual transmission with an STI short shifter and Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.

Inside, Subaru adds Recaro seats with black Ultrasuede and red stitching, plus an STI shift knob.

2027 Subaru BRZ ZC15

The BRZ receives a different visual treatment.

The ZC15 comes exclusively in Ceramic White. It uses matte bronze wheels, red Brembo calipers and bronze side decals. Subaru also adds a black decklid spoiler.

The BRZ ZC15 uses a Ceramic White body, bronze wheels and a black rear spoiler.

The mechanical package is also upgraded.

A flexible V-bar adds chassis rigidity. The car keeps its 2.4-liter naturally aspirated BOXER engine, producing 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque.

The six-speed manual is the only transmission. Power goes exclusively to the rear wheels, preserving the BRZ’s traditional sports-car layout.

The interior gets black leather-appointed upholstery with Bordeaux Red inserts. Subaru also adds a unique ZC15 anniversary plaque and an STI short shifter.

Two special editions with the same idea

The WRX and BRZ take different approaches, but the formula is similar.

Both receive heritage-inspired colors, performance hardware and manual transmissions. Both are also limited to a small production run.

The two special editions connect Subaru’s current performance cars with their history in the U.S.

Subaru expects the BRZ ZC15 to arrive in early 2027.

The WRX GD25 is scheduled for summer 2027. Pricing will be announced closer to each model’s launch.

For U.S. enthusiasts, these editions offer something increasingly uncommon: small-production performance cars with manual transmissions and dedicated hardware.

The 2027 Subaru WRX GD25 and BRZ ZC15 will be built in very limited numbers, with the WRX capped at 350 units and the BRZ at 300.

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2027 Volkswagen ID.5 Is Dead as ID. Tiguan Takes Over

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Volkswagen is ending the ID.5 without a direct successor, with the new electric ID. Tiguan set to replace both the ID.4 and ID.5 from 2027.

Volkswagen ends the ID.5 experiment

The Volkswagen ID.5 is officially coming to the end of its production run.

Volkswagen has confirmed that the new ID. Tiguan will take over the roles previously occupied by both the ID.4 and ID.5. The new electric SUV will make its world premiere in early October, with European sales scheduled to begin in early 2027.

The decision closes a relatively short chapter for the ID.5.

Introduced in 2021, the model was Volkswagen’s first electric SUV coupe. It shared its basic architecture with the ID.4 but added a lower, more sloping roofline and a different rear design.

A familiar shape gives way to a traditional SUV

The new ID. Tiguan takes a different approach.

Volkswagen is moving toward a more conventional SUV body rather than creating another coupe-style electric model. The company says the new model will offer high-quality design, a spacious interior, intuitive operation and new technologies.

That gives Volkswagen one electric SUV instead of maintaining two closely related body styles.

Volkswagen is currently showing the near-production ID. Tiguan in camouflage ahead of its October world premiere.

The change also fits Volkswagen’s broader naming strategy.

After introducing electric models such as the ID. Polo and ID. Cross, the company is moving toward familiar names for future EVs. Volkswagen says this approach should make the relationship between its electric vehicles and established model families clearer.

The ID.5 will not get a replacement

The most important detail is that the ID.5 is not being renamed.

Volkswagen has confirmed that there is no direct successor planned for the coupe-style EV. Instead, the ID. Tiguan will cover the space previously occupied by both the ID.4 and ID.5.

That means there will not be a separate coupe-SUV version alongside the new electric Tiguan, at least based on the information available today.

The strategy puts more emphasis on practicality.

A conventional SUV offers more usable interior space and easier packaging. It also gives Volkswagen a closer visual link between its electric and combustion-powered SUVs.

The ID.5 was never sold in the United States

There is an important U.S. market detail.

The ID.5 was never officially sold in the United States. Its retirement therefore has no direct impact on the current U.S. ID lineup.

The new ID. Tiguan is different.

Volkswagen has said the electric SUV will launch in Europe first, while North American timing and market-specific details will be announced later.

For American readers, that means the ID.5 story is mainly a look at Volkswagen’s European strategy. The ID. Tiguan, however, could become much more relevant to the U.S. lineup.

Volkswagen is moving away from numerical EV names

The ID.5 was part of Volkswagen’s first major EV naming strategy.

The company created a family based around names such as ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.7. That approach helped separate electric models from conventional Volkswagen vehicles.

The company is now reversing part of that strategy.

The electric Polo, Cross and Tiguan bring familiar names back into the EV portfolio while retaining the ID prefix.

The Tiguan name is particularly important.

Volkswagen says more than 8.3 million Tiguans have been produced, while the model has been its global best-selling vehicle in recent years. The electric version will therefore enter the market with a much more established name than the ID.4 or ID.5 ever had.

The ID.4 and ID.5 are being consolidated

The new strategy effectively combines two electric SUVs into one.

The ID.4 provided the traditional SUV shape. The ID.5 offered a more stylish, lower-roof alternative. Volkswagen is now choosing the conventional format for the next generation.

That does not mean Volkswagen is abandoning electric SUVs.

Quite the opposite.

The company is giving the segment a more recognizable name and a new generation of technology. The ID. Tiguan is expected to use Volkswagen’s newer electric architecture and will debut with more information on range, charging, power and pricing in October.

For now, the key fact is simple.

The Volkswagen ID.5 is ending without a direct replacement, while the ID. Tiguan will replace both the ID.4 and ID.5 in Volkswagen’s European electric range from 2027. North American timing for the ID. Tiguan is still pending.

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