Now here's a story not common in Austin - SNOW on the ground!
February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010 it was 75 degrees without a cloud in the sky. It was perfect baseball weather. We were warned to expect ice, sleet and snow on Tuesday. Yeh, sure! This is Austin. Yes, the weather changes, but really!!
So, Tuesday opened up at about 37 degrees and like clockwork around 10 am snow started falling. Big snowflakes. By the end of the day as much as two inches - a lot by central Texas standards - had fallen.
Here's a picture of one of our New Car Sales Consultants being industrious and building a monument to the moment. Congratulations Jimmy Hawthorne. Your snowman, although a little bottom heavy, fit the spirit of the day.
2010 MAZDA3 AWARDED IIHS Top Safety Pick
The all-new 2010 MAZDA3 has been awarded the prestigious Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
To qualify for Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of good in the Institute's front, side, and rear tests and be equipped with Electronic Stability Control. Criteria to win are tough because the award is intended to drive continued safety improvements such as top crash test ratings and the rapid addition of electronic stability control, which is standard on most trim levels of the MAZDA3.
"Recognizing vehicles at the head of the class for safety helps consumers distinguish the best overall choices without having to sort through multiple test results," says Insurance Institute President Adrian Lund.
Combined with the top 5-star ratings in the US government’s NHTSA frontal and side driver crash tests, MAZDA3 is one of the safest choices in a small car. The all-new MAZDA3 comes standard with frontal and side airbags and roof mounted side air curtains, in addition to active head restraints that move closer to the driver’s head in the event of a rear impact. Coupled with available Dynamic Stability Control, tire pressure monitors, strong Triple-H body construction and anti-lock brakes, the MAZDA3 offers a comprehensive safety package.
“Mazda is known for cars that are fun to drive because they have superb steering, brakes and overall handling,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations. “This active safety helps avoid the accident in the first place and makes the MAZDA3 a perfect example of safety meets zoom-zoom!”
In the IIHS 40 mph frontal offset test, 40 percent of the total width of each vehicle strikes a barrier on the driver side. The barrier's deformable face is made of aluminum honeycomb, which makes the forces in the test similar to those involved in a frontal offset crash between two vehicles of the same weight, each going just less than 40 mph.
For the side test, a 31 mph (50 km/h) perpendicular impact into the driver side of a passenger vehicle. The moving deformable barrier that strikes the test vehicle weighs 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg) and has a front end shaped to simulate the typical front end of a pickup or SUV.
The rear impact sled test of the seat simulates a rear-end crash with a velocity change of 10 mph, approximately equivalent to a stationary vehicle being struck at 20 mph by a vehicle of the same weight.
Safety ratings continue to be a top purchase consideration for our consumers.
All-new 2010 MAZDA3 crash ratings now available - June 1, 2009
The US government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just published complete crash and rollover resistance ratings for the 2010 MAZDA3.
MAZDA3 received the highest possible ratings of 5-stars for both the driver and front seat passenger in the frontal crash test. These ratings are superior to those for the 2010 Corolla. In the side crash test, MAZDA3 received a 5-star rating for the driver and a 4-star rating for the rear seat passenger. The ratings are comparable to the ratings for Civic and Corolla. A rollover resistance rating of 4-stars was also awarded to MAZDA3. This rating is equal to ratings for Civic and Corolla. For further information see www.safercar.gov.
Also remember that previously the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded to top rating of Good to the 2010 MAZDA3 for its frontal offset crash test. For further information see www.highwaysafety.org.
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NHTSA
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IIHS
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Frontal
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Side
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Frontal Offset
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Side
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Vehicle
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Driver
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Passenger
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Front
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Rear
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Rollover
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Without SAB
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With SAB
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2010 MAZDA3
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5*****
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5*****
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5*****
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4****
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4****
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G
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N/T*
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N/T
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Civic
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5*****
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5*****
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4****
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5*****
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4****
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G
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N/T*
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G
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2010 Corolla
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4****
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4***
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5*****
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4****
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4****
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G
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N/T*
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G
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2008 Mazda CX-9 – Flirting with Perfection
