It can’t afford to spend as much on research as rivals, so the Japanese firm is tweaking existing technology to boost its cars’ eco credentials

WITH EVERY big manufacturer now focused on low-emissions and electric technology, it’s hardly surprising that smaller car firms like Mazda reckon they can’t sit by and risk being left behind. Hence the launch of SkyActiv, Mazda’s attempt to stay in touch with the green debate.

The name suggests a space-age leap, but behind the marketing hype lies a more evolutionary approach. The simple fact is that, for all the revolutionary technologies on the horizon, the combustion engine is going to remain a mainstay of many global markets for the next few decades.

So although the firm is working with Toyota to create a hybrid people carrier for initial launch in Japan in 2013, and an electric supermini for around the same time, its SkyActiv technology has none of its rivals’ electronic wizardry. Instead Mazda has concentrated on improving established technology. It might seem a little unambitious, but Mazda Motor Europe’s chief operating officer, Philip Waring, is at pains to point to the significant improvements from a combined approach of weight saving, engine efficiencies and chassis developments.

“The problem with many of the more fundamental changes from other car firms is that they require some sacrifice in terms of performance and driving pleasure. Our aim is to achieve environmental improvements while retaining all the driving enjoyment. Even by 2020, the vast majority of cars on our roads will be driven by internal combustion engines, and there is still a lot that can be done to improve their environmental performance,” he says.

One suspects that this pragmatic approach is partly driven by the size of the firm. Mazda’s brand is arguably far stronger than you might expect from its sales. Part of that is down to iconic models like the MX-5 sports car and to the company’s record for reliability. But it struggles to compete financially with global giants like General Motors, Ford and Toyota. Their huge sales means they can invest multiples of the Mazda income on research.

So Mazda must choose its battles. In this context, taking a more practical, incremental approach to environmental improvements is sensible. Mazda has already proven its ability to engineer improvements in regular models, reducing the weight of the current Mazda2 supermini by an impressive 100kg over its predecessor. The SkyActiv approach takes this sort of success one step further, aiming to bring green motoring to the mainstream without radical new technology.

SkyActiv will hit our roads with the introduction of a new platform and power train on the brand new CX-5, a midsized crossover due for launch in Ireland early next year. The new underpinnings will go on to feature in the next-generation Mazda6, followed by a new Mazda5 people carrier.

It features a new SkyActiv-G petrol engine and SkyActiv-D diesel engine. In its petrol guise the power train is 10 per cent lighter and 15 per cent more fuel efficient; it also increases compression ratios to 14:1, meaning that it can produce 15 per cent more torque at lower revs.

Mazda has also reached a 14:1 compression ratio on the diesel, which is impressively low for that type of engine. The result is a 20 per cent improvement in fuel consumption over the current 2.2-litre diesel. The most noticeable difference is an increased rev range that allows you to get more in each gear than with a regular diesel.

Further improvements include a new dual-clutch CVT automatic transmission that will be available on both engines, along with a more efficient manual transmission that mimics the short-throw driving pattern of the MX-5.

Add a body frame that’s 8 per cent lighter than the current one on the Mazda6, along with a more responsive chassis, and you start to get the picture of a company that has challenged all its engineers to improve every element of the modern car.

On a brief test-track session, the new petrol engine with the manual transmission proved the most dynamic; the diesel engine in the prototypes we drove still needed some refinement. The automatic transmission didn’t seem as responsive or smooth as its dual-clutch counterpart from Volkswagen.

Overall the improvements should see Mazda’s larger family cars emit between 100g/km and and 120g/km of carbon dioxide. That’s not going to set any records compared with rivals, but it keeps the brand in the race with much bigger competitors with far larger research budgets.

Where Mazda can stand out from the crowd is in achieving its goals without sacrificing driving dynamics. Waring says the aim is to create a range of clean cars that remain fun to drive. That’s going to be a significant challenge, and the brand will have a battle on its hands to attract the spotlight as rivals launch high-profile hybrid and electric models. The key will be to retain sharp handling and responsiveness while cutting emissions and fuel consumption.

Our quick test of its prototypes suggests Mazda may well achieve that goal, but the real test will be to see if it can bring SkyActiv emissions figures to a car like the MX-5 while retaining its fantastic go-kart feel and responsiveness. For now the focus is on the new CX-5 and Mazda6: SkyActiv should keep them in the game.