Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Mazda


Mazda has announced plans to increase the fuel efficiency of its vehicles by 30 percent in the next seven years through the use of new engine technology and lighter materials. By 2015, Mazda's entire range of vehicles will roll off the assembly line some 220 pounds lighter compared to the vehicles it offers today, with a diet that includes a new three-layer wet paint system, along with more innovative materials, including carbon neutral bioplastics due to arrive in 2013.

The automaker's goal will also be realized through the use of its new proprietary Smart Idle Stop System that will debut on one of its products in 2009. Unlike other systems, the Mazda start-stop setup injects fuel directly into the cylinder after the engine has shut down and then ignites the fuel to force the piston down. According to Mazda this makes for a smoother, faster and quieter restart and should improve fuel economy by seven- to eight-percent. The Smart Idle Stop System will originally be equipped on models in Europe and Japan, with a worldwide rollout coming shortly thereafter.

In 2009, Mazda will begin offering E85-compatible engines in North America and Northern Europe, and in 2011 all of the automaker's gasoline engines will utilize direct-injection fuel delivery. That same year, Mazda will introduce new diesel engines worldwide that boost fuel economy by 20-percent and in 2010, look for a new 16X rotary engine equipped with Direct Injection Spark Ignition that will increase both performance and fuel economy.

Hit the jump to read Mazda's press release.Continue reading Mazda to cut fuel consumption 30 percent by 2015

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