Mazda's New SKYACTIV-G 1.3 Engine Wins 2012 RJC Technology of the Year

Hiroshima, Nov 16, 2011; Mazda Motor Corporation today announced that its newly developed SKYACTIV-G 1.3 engine has been named the 2012 Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference of Japan (RJC) Technology of the Year. The SKYACTIV-G 1.3 engine is available in the new Mazda Demio (known overseas as the Mazda2) in the Japanese market. RJC chairman, Hiroshi Fukunaga, announced the award after the final round of balloting.

The breakthrough SKYACTIV-G 1.3 achieves a record high compression ratio of 14.0:1 and exhibits outstanding efficiency, especially under high load at low rpm. In order to avoid knocking - an unavoidable issue with conventional high-compression engines - the SKYACTIV-G 1.3 features a number of new technologies, such as piston cavities that are specially designed to support ideal combustion, and multi-hole injectors that enable precise fuel injection control.

The Mazda Demio 13-SKYACTIV model grade combines the SKYACTIV-G 1.3 engine with Mazda's unique idling stop system, i-stop, and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to deliver high fuel economy of 30.0km/L (under Japan's 10-15 mode test cycle) or 25.0km/L (JC08 mode).

About Mazda

Mazda Motor Corporation started manufacturing tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit www.mazda.com.