Toyota is to supply Prius hybrid technology to Mazda under licence, in what the automakers said potentially was the first of many such agreements with other manufacturers though Toyota has already ‘lent’ similar hybrid technology to Nissan for use in the US and reached a patent-sharing deal with Ford.

The latest deal will see Mazda combine the hybrid system with the next-generation Sky engine currently under development as well as develop and manufacture a hybrid vehicle in Japan. Mazda is aiming to start sales of a hybrid vehicle beginning in Japan by 2013.

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It already sells the Tribute SUV hybrid in the US though that is made on an OEM basis by Ford which uses the same powertrain in the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner models on which the Tribute is based. Though Ford developed its own system, Ford and Toyota reportedly reached a 2004 patent-sharing accord, licensing Ford’s use of some of Toyota’s hybrid technology in exchange for Toyota’s use of some of Ford’s diesel and direct-injection engine technology.

A statement from Toyota and Mazda on Tuesday said: “TMC recognises the importance of benefiting the environment by encouraging the popularisation of its eco-friendly technologies, which are represented by its hybrid systems.

“Accordingly, TMC has announced that it will consider requests from other companies to supply hybrid technology.”

Mazda has also outlined ambitious plans to increase the average fuel economy of its vehicles sold globally by 30% to 2015.

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Under its ‘building block strategy,’ Mazda said it will “enhance the core aspects of vehicles – including engines, transmissions and weight reduction – and then progressively add electric devices such as idling stop, regenerative braking and hybrid systems.

TMC began sales of the Prius in 1997. Some 2.3m TMC-produced hybrid vehicles have been delivered in over 70 countries and regions.