It’s unusual for the product to beat the hype but that’s just what Mazda has achieved with its Skyactiv technology.
We drove development mules (based on the existing 6) on a test track in the Mediterranean some 10 months ahead of the launch of the first Skyactiv vehicle, the CX-5.
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Everything we had been told in the intensive workshops explaining the technology came together as we drove the new two-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engines with a choice of new six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.
The consensus was that the diesel was the best yet, almost petrol-like in its responsiveness and willingness to rev freely. The petrol engine took on some of the characteristics of a diesel with plenty of low-down torque – 15% more than the current engine.
Add in revised suspension layouts and lighter components and you have a recipe for a car that is fun to drive as well as being economical.
Mazda announced that it was working on a clean sheet approach in 2007 and the wait has been worthwhile. The inspiration for the change was the MX-5 sports car – simple, fun and hugely successful with more than 900,000 sold worldwide.
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By GlobalData“The MX-5 is a simple car so we have taken a lot of simple steps and then put them all together,” said head of product planning Kiyoshi Fujiwara. “Simple is best because it is reliable and affordable.”
With Skyactiv Mazda believes it will be able to offer customers better fuel economy and lower emissions than today’s hybrids without charging any price premium.
In Japan, Mazda is currently launching the 2 – called Demio there – with a 1.3-litre Skyactiv petrol engine. Combined with start-stop, it achieves 30km/l (about 85mpg) under Japan’s 10-15 mode test cycle – a headline figure for buyers and about the same as the Honda Fit [Jazz] hybrid.
Europe has to wait until next spring and the CX-5 for its first Skyactiv model. The production version, seen as the Minagi concept at the Geneva show, will be unveiled at Frankfurt in September.
The CX-5 marks the start of a product offensive that will see every model in the line-up renewed by 2015 using Skyactiv technologies which also embrace lightweight construction and more efficient manufacturing techniques.
It also presents a marketing challenge, according to Mazda Europe president Jeff Guyton.
“Customers expect hybrids and cars with eco badges to have good fuel economy. Our challenge is to get people to believe they can have that fuel economy and still have fun to drive cars,” he said.
But his focus isn’t just on Skyactiv’s environmental benefits. He wants customers to think of the new generation of Mazdas as “looking great and being great to drive – and, by the way, they’re tremendously fuel efficient.
“We can’t neglect the brand value we already have,” he said.
