Mazda Motor Corporation announced yesterday (26th March) that it is planning to create a new diesel engine which could rival hybrid alternatives for fuel efficiency, Reuters reports.

The Japanese automaker revealed that it hopes to produce a new design by 2011 which would have a displacement of two litres and be as fuel-efficient as 660cc gasoline or 'mild' hybrid cars.

The move forms part of the company's strategy to increase the fuel economy of its fleet across the world by 30 per cent by 2015, focusing on internal combustion engines, automatic transmissions and weight reduction.

Head of Research and Development Seita Kanai told the news provider: "We believe that improving today's conventional engines at a low cost is the most effective way to get fuel-efficient cars to proliferate."

Mr Kanai added that the new engine would be more cost-effective as a result of its use of single nanotechnology - reducing the amount of precious metals required for emissions-limiting catalysts - and a new diesel particulate filter.

The Hiroshima-based automaker also outlined plans to cut the weight of new models from by a tenth on average (or 100kg) and then a further ten per cent from 2011 and 2016 onwards respectively.

Rival firm Toyota Motor Corporation has previously suggested that increasingly stringent regulations will mean that cleaning diesel emissions will be equally or more expensive than gasoline-electric hybrid technology.

Source:

Mazda to battle hybrids with engine improvements (26/03/09)
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUST19755120090326