RX-8 Power Overstated: Mazda Will Buy Yours Back

TOKYO, Sept 9, 2003;Reuters reported that Japan's Mazda Motor Corp has offered to buy back its new RX-8 sports car in the United States after revelations that it had overstated the vehicle's horsepower, a company spokesman said on Tuesday.

Mazda had advertised its RX-8, a four-door head-turner that stars in the Hollywood blockbuster film "X2: X-Men United", as having 247 horsepower (hp) for the manual transmission version sold in the U.S. and 207 hp for the automatic.

The advertising was drawn up before the company altered engine specifications to meet U.S. fuel efficiency standards.

The modification change led to a drop in horsepower to 238 and 197 respectively, but specifications were left unchanged in brochures sent out to customers, the spokesman said.

"It was only after some automotive media pointed out the shortfall that we realised the difference," he said. Horsepower output is a significant feature for many sports car fans.

So far, around 30 owners have sold back the car, at the original sticker price of $27,200 for the manual version and $25,700 for the automatic, another spokesman said.

As of the end of August, Mazda had sold 3,565 units in the U.S. since the car went on sale there in late July.

Japan's fifth-largest auto maker, owned one-third by Ford Motor, has targeted RX-8 sales of about 60,000 units globally, with half of that coming from the United States.

Although target volumes are small, executives have said the RX-8 is strategically important for Mazda's brand image.

In 1999, Mazda had offered a similar buyback for the popular Miata roadster after it realised that gasoline sold in the United States yielded eight percent less horsepower than fuel sold in Japan.

For those who choose to hold onto their RX-8s, Mazda is dishing out $500 in credit for gasoline and free maintenance for four years, or for the first 50,000 miles (80,470 km).