2013 Mazda3 Gets 40-MPG Skyactiv Engine on More Trim Levels
In the past Mazda has hinted that it may drop the current base engine in the Mazda3 and instead offer the Skyactiv powertrain as standard. According to Mazda USA PR rep Beverly Braga that won’t happen for 2013, but the Japanese automaker has made the decision to offer the Skyactive 2.0-liter as the core powertrain on more trim levels.
For 2013 all hatchback versions of the Mazda3 will get the 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine, while the sedan now gains that powerplant for the i Sport sedan model. As a result, only the base i SV sedan model will retain the old 2.0-liter MZR with less power and a significantly lower 33 mpg highway rating.
Read AutoGuide’s 2012 Mazda3 Skyactiv Review Here
Mazda saw a modest 3.1 percent sales increase for the month of June with year-to-date sales up 17.5 percent, driven by demand for its new Skyactiv powertrains.
In total 19,911 Mazdas were sold in the month of June, with 4,551 of those being the new 2012 CX-5 compact crossover. Almost double that number of Mazda3 models were moved off dealer lots, totaling 8,835 units. Perhaps most impressive of that number is that a total of 73.6 percent of Mazda3 models sold came quipped with the more fuel efficient and more expensive Skyactiv 2.0-liter 4-cylinder powertrain, capable of delivering 40 mpg on the highway.
Mazda has announced that due to the impressive demand it will double the production capacity at its powertrain plant in Hiroshima, Japan. In total, Skyactiv-equipped models accounted for 55 percent of total sales last month.
GALLERY: 2012 Mazda3
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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Mazda just can't let go of the ridiculous smile on the front end of that car. I can't imagine how many sales it has cost the company since 2010.
I love my smiling car.. I was lucky to get the 2012 model with the skyactiv engine... It is so nice, it is very powerful and sometimes in the highway I am doing like 50mpg or 60. Depends on how you manage the accelerator. The model I got shows the screen that shows how much mpg you are saving, how many miles left on the gas tank till it empties, and it also shows the average of mpg you've been saving throughout the miles you have been driving. It also shows the average speed you have been doing. The reason why they never changed the smiling grill is that because they have seen an increase in sales every year. Why mess with what is not broken.