Mazda Claims SKY Engines Will Match Hybrid Fuel Economy
Mazda is betting that their new lineup of SKY direct injection gasoline and diesel engines will help raise the company’s fleet fuel economy by 30% by 2015.
Mazda, which has long refrained from hybrid cars, claims that the next generation 2015 Mazda3 with a SKY-G gasoline engine and a Sky-Drive 6-speed automatic will get 40 mpg on the highway, up from 33 mpg. The Mazda6 will get a SKY-D diesel engine that will get 43 mpg on the highway, a bump from 30 mpg on the current car.
While Mazda said that the first SKY-G powered car will arrive in 2011, they were tight-lipped about what car would receive it. Signs point to the next generation MX-5 as the most likely candidate.
Despite the investment in the SKY powertrains, Mazda said it would introduce a hybrid in the near future, with technology licensed from Toyota. “We have a plan to introduce [the technology] gradually, starting from simple devices,” Seita Kanai, director of r&d for Mazda Motor Corp. told Automotive News. “The more complex a device is, the more costly it becomes.”
[Source: Automotive News]
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This is not a difficult task. Most hybrids suck for MPG when you count in highway, because they are designed for city driving, not high-speed roads. Thus why they are huge FAIL in America, unless you live in New York City. My motorcycle gets better MPG than hybrid's highway MPG. My 2004 Hyundai Accent used to get 40 highway MPG before I sold it.