Last year, Mazda said that it had no plans to introduce alternative powertrains for its vehicle lineup. However, in an effort to increase the average fuel-economy of its vehicles by 30 percent by 2015, Mazda said that it plans to produce hybrid and electric-cars.
Speaking to Automotive News at the 2009 New York Auto Show, CEO Takashi Yamanouchi said that electric and hybrid vehicles will join Mazda’s lineup by 2015. He said that Mazda will also introduce a family of fuel-efficient gasoline and diesel engines.
“Our new gasoline engines will achieve the same fuel economy as current diesel engines, and our diesel engines will achieve similar fuel economy as existing hybrids,” Yamanouchi said.
That engine technology will make its debut at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show in October. Yamanouchi said that the new engines and engine technology will not be shared with FoMoCo.
- By: Omar Rana
