In an interview with Mazda CEO Takashi Yamanouchi, Automotive News has confirmed the company's lineup will include hybrids and electric cars by 2015. Yamanouchi also said his company wants to increase the average fuel economy of its cars globally by 30 percent by 2015.
Mazda will start by revealing a new family of fuel-efficient gasoline and diesel engines at the Tokyo auto show later this year. Yamanouchi said: "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."
The new engines and engine technology will be Madza's own and will not be borrowed from Ford. Yamanouchi said Mazda will allow Ford to purchase the technologies for its vehicles if desired.
New engines are only one part of Mazda's strategy to boost average fuel economy. The company will also explore vehicle weight reduction, improved aerodynamics, and lower rolling resistance. Auto start - stop and regenerative braking are two additional technologies that will likely be considered.
Source: Automotive News