Under the banner of Skyactiv, the technologies include new petrol and diesel engines, more efficient gearboxes, and even lighter car construction.
The first model to benefit from these will be the next generation Mazda2, due for launch in Japan in 2011.
The Skyactiv engines include a direct-injection petrol unit with a 14:1 compression ratio, the highest ever in a production petrol engine. A similar ratio in the Skyactiv diesel engine is the lowest ever used in a production diesel.
In both cases, substantial drops in consumption and increases in power output result. In the diesel's case, a 20 percent cut in consumption and a NOx emissions performance that will allow the engine to achieve Euro 6 specifications without any expensive after-treatment.
The more efficient gearboxes will be both automatic and manual, the former putting together the best attributes of CVT and double-clutch technologies.
