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NEWS
Mazda planning diesel-hybrid
Japanese report claims Mazda will offer diesel-electric tech in some markets by early 2017Mazda will launch a diesel-electric hybrid model within three years, according to a report in Japanese publication The Yomiuri Shimbun.
The report states Mazda will become the first Japanese car-maker to sell a diesel hybrid passenger car in Japan and Europe "as early as fiscal 2016" – the 2016 Japanese financial year, which ends in March 2017.
The newspaper does not state which model Mazda's first diesel hybrid powertrain will be offered in, but claims its target is to develop oil-burning hybrid cars that can travel about 40km per litre, or just 2.5L/100km, on the Japanese JC08 test cycle.
That would make it 30 per cent more economical than the most efficient diesel cars, and more than twice as efficient as the most efficient Mazda currently available in Australia, the Mazda6 diesel (5.4L/100km according to Australia's less generous ADR 81/02 regime).
It would also better the efficiency of Mazda's first hybrid, the petrol-electric Axela (Mazda 3) Hybrid sedan (pictured), a Japan-only model not slated for sale in Australia, and Toyota's Prius hybrid (3.9L/100km ADR).
Powered primarily by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder SKYACTIV petrol engine matched to an electric motor, continuously variable automatic transmission and power control system sourced from Toyota, the Mazda3 hybrid consumes 30.8km/L, which equates to 3.2L/100km.
It sacrifices boot space to accommodate a high-voltage battery behind the rear seats, and does not incorporate Mazda's 'i-ELOOP' capacitor-based regenerative braking system as seen in the latest Mazda6.
The same Toyota-sourced hybrid hardware and software is likely to be matched with either the 2.2-litre diesel that powers the Mazda6 and upcoming Mazda3 XD Astina sports hatch, or a new 1.5-litre diesel from the next Mazda2.
The new Mazda2 will be available here only with two 1.5-litre petrol engines that should consume as little as 5.5L/100km, but could also be offered overseas with Mazda's first plug-in powertrain, complete with rotary-power range-extending technology.
Mazda's move to diesel-hybrid technology, at least in Japan and Europe, echoes the strategy of many European brands and appears to be the next 'building block' in its plan to reduce fuel consumption by a further 30 per cent beyond 2015.
Diesel-powered cars are also becoming more popular in Japan, where diesel passenger car sales almost doubled to about 76,000 units last year.
Written byMarton Pettendy
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