Right Lane Cruiser
03-26-2009, 07:57 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Japanese_Flag_30x22.jpg "The norm in the industry is to 'buy' weight reduction at a cost, but we won't do that," he said. (http://www.reuters.com/article/reuterscomService5/idUSTRE52P1KB20090326)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_MAZDA3s.jpgChang-Ran Kim - Reuters (http://www.reuters.com) - Mar. 26, 2009
Hybridization isn't always the right answer. --Ed.
TOKYO - Mazda Motor Corp said on Thursday it expected to develop a diesel engine that was cheaper and about as fuel-efficient as some hybrid cars by 2011 as part of its efforts to improve mileage without the aid of costly electric systems.
The Hiroshima-based automaker has set a target of raising its global car fleet's fuel economy by 30 percent by 2015, and plans to rely on advances in internal combustion engines, automatic transmissions and vehicle weight reduction to reach that goal.
As one pillar of that plan, Mazda is working on a clean diesel engine with a displacement of about 2.0 liters that would be as fuel-efficient as a 660cc gasoline microcar and a "mild" hybrid car, Mazda's head of research and development said.
"We believe that improving today's conventional engines at a low cost is the most effective way to get fuel-efficient cars to proliferate," R&D Chief Seita Kanai told reporters in Tokyo.
Gasoline-electric hybrid cars are gaining popularity but still carry a premium over... http://www.reuters.com/article/reuterscomService5/idUSTRE52P1KB20090326
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_MAZDA3s.jpgChang-Ran Kim - Reuters (http://www.reuters.com) - Mar. 26, 2009
Hybridization isn't always the right answer. --Ed.
TOKYO - Mazda Motor Corp said on Thursday it expected to develop a diesel engine that was cheaper and about as fuel-efficient as some hybrid cars by 2011 as part of its efforts to improve mileage without the aid of costly electric systems.
The Hiroshima-based automaker has set a target of raising its global car fleet's fuel economy by 30 percent by 2015, and plans to rely on advances in internal combustion engines, automatic transmissions and vehicle weight reduction to reach that goal.
As one pillar of that plan, Mazda is working on a clean diesel engine with a displacement of about 2.0 liters that would be as fuel-efficient as a 660cc gasoline microcar and a "mild" hybrid car, Mazda's head of research and development said.
"We believe that improving today's conventional engines at a low cost is the most effective way to get fuel-efficient cars to proliferate," R&D Chief Seita Kanai told reporters in Tokyo.
Gasoline-electric hybrid cars are gaining popularity but still carry a premium over... http://www.reuters.com/article/reuterscomService5/idUSTRE52P1KB20090326