Mazda to Drive Fuel Efficiency with Australian Launch of First Sky Concept Engines

NOTTING HILL, AUSTRALIA – April 21, 2010: Mazda Australia has confirmed that it will introduce the first of its next generation ‘Mazda SKY Concept’ powertrains next year. The first of the new fuel-efficient powertrains to be offered to Australian consumers in 2011 will be the next petrol engine concept ‘Mazda SKY-G’ which will boost both fuel economy and torque by about 15 per cent.

Mazda recently announced that it intends to reduce the average fuel economy of all Mazda vehicles sold globally by 30% by 2015. The introduction of the SKY-G engine is a significant step towards achieving this ambitious target.

A vast amount of work has gone into the development of the direct injection Sky-G* engine with research efforts focussing on optimising combustion and minimising pumping and mechanical losses.

The SKY-G engine will be mated with ‘Mazda SKY-Drive’ Mazda’s next generation automatic transmission concept which will further improve fuel economy by an additional 5%. The innovative six-speed SKY-Drive* automatic transmission has been developed with an extended lock-up range in order to deliver a more sporty and direct shift feel.

Masazumi Wakayama, Mazda Motor Corporation Director and Managing Executive Officer in charge of Global Marketing, Sales and Customer Service said “The name ‘SKY’ reflects the sky is the limit approach of our engineers. They are employing unconventional thinking to achieve optimal efficiency. The Mazda SKY-G, our next-generation petrol engine, will be the core powertrain in future Mazda vehicles.”

In parallel with the development of the SKY Concept* powertrains, Mazda is also focussing on weight reduction, reduced rolling resistance and improved aerodynamics in order to help achieve the 30 per cent fuel efficiency improvement target.

The ‘Mazda SKY Concept’ is the foundation of Mazda’s long term building block technology strategy. After the introduction of the SKY concept powertrains, Mazda’s global strategy is to then introduce electric devices in stages. ‘i-stop’, Mazda’s engine start-stop system will be followed by regenerative braking and then, in Japan, a hybrid system.

Mazda SKY Concept: Concept names for engines and transmissions intended for launch from 2011 onwards