WHILE THE BULK of the world's leading car manufacturers are turning more towards the development of hybrids and electric vehicles, Mazda is bucking the current trend in automotive development by pioneering its own new technology, SkyActiv.
At an intensive range of technical workshops, the Japanese team of engineers and technicians lifted the wraps on SkyActiv (watch our video from the test) which utilises the inherent strengths of the internal combustion engine.
At its core is reducing drive friction, the shedding of 100kg in weight from each car, plus better fuel economy and lower emissions than today’s hybrids. And Mazda aims to achieve this without SkyActiv becoming an eco range at a price premium.
Mazda in the UK believes the new developments will help propel fleet sales, though the technology will not make its first public appearance until the new CX-5 arrives in around 10 months.
Better fuel economy and lower emissions
But what is SkyActiv? The new technology covers everything; the engine, transmission, and the platform, including the body and the chassis.
At its core is reducing drive friction, the shedding of 100kg in weight from each car, plus better fuel economy and lower emissions than today’s hybrids. And Mazda aims to achieve this without SkyActiv becoming an eco range at a price premium.
Certainly, having driven the two development mules (based on the existing 6) on the Circuito Mallorca Rennarena test track, it appears Mazda is poised to reaffirm the internal combustion engine has a long future ahead of it.
I drove the new two-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engines, with a choice of new six-speed manual or automatic transmissions. Without question the diesel is the best yet. It is unerringly petrol-like in its responsiveness and willingness to rev freely. In full production mode, expect fuel economy around 60mpg and a 20% drop in current CO2 emissions.
The petrol engine took on some of the characteristics of a diesel with plenty of low-down torque – 15% more than the current engine.
"Simple is best: reliable and affordable"
Combined with the revised suspension layouts and lighter components, it's clear Mazda has all the ingredients for a car that is fun to drive as well as being economical. It was a point highlighted by Kiyoshi Fujiwara, the man in charge of the SkyActiv development.
"The origin of the concept was our MX-5, and our fun to drive 'Zoom-Zoom' philosophy," he said. “The MX-5 is a simple car so we have taken a lot of simple steps and then put them all together. Simple is best because it is reliable and affordable.
"Our new SkyActiv generation of cars will not only make you smile when you drive them, but they will be at least 20% more fuel efficient and be 20% cleaner in terms of CO2 emissions."
In Japan, Mazda has already launched its first car with SkyActiv. The Mazda2 — named Demio in Japan — has a 1.3-litre SkyActiv petrol engine. In conjunction with stop-start, it achieves 30km/l (around 85mpg) under Japan's 10-15 mode test cycle; that's about the same as the Honda Fit (Jazz) hybrid.
Next year's compact SUV, the CX-5 — based on the Minagi concept shown at the Geneva show and which will be unveiled in production form at Frankfurt in September — will be the first in Europe with SkyActiv. The technology will then be rolled out across the rest of range, with the Mazda6 and Mazda3 following quickly.
"Whole new approach to motoring"
And Mazda UK's Fleet & Remarketing Director Steve Jelliss believes the new technology will make the cars more attractive to fleet users in the UK. "Without question SkyActiv is going to raise our profile further in terms of fleet," Jelliss explained.
"We've got a deeply compelling proposition now in terms of the fleet market; and SkyActiv, in conjunction with Business Line which we've just announced, will see us take another big step forward.
"This is a whole new approach to motoring, and its benefits will definitely be felt in the fleet sector. We're looking at as much as a 20% improvement in terms of operational cost-savings to the business user."
And Jelliss is confident the roll-out of SkyActiv will help increase Mazda's penetration into the fleet sector.
"As SkyActiv becomes more available and mainstream within the Mazda product range, I think overall our market share will increase and that fleet will be carried along with it," he continued, "so our penetration into the fleet sector will also increase."
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Jim McGill