Toyota and Mazda agree to share Hybrid technology

Consumers will find a bit of Toyota at Mazda dealerships by 2013. Mazda will become the second manufacturer, after Nissan, to borrow Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive technology as part of a licensing agreement aimed at leap-frogging hybrids into Mazda’s stable beyond the lonely Mazda Tribute SUV. The deal’s details have yet to be released but Toyota’s key hybrid drive components are expected to make the cross over to Mazda’s recently announced, next-generation, direct-injected Sky engines.

TMC and Mazda Agree to Hybrid System Technology License
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda) have reached an agreement on the supply under license of hybrid technology used in the Toyota Prius. Leveraging this agreement, Mazda plans to combine the hybrid system with its next-generation SKY* engine that is currently under development, and develop and manufacture a hybrid vehicle in Japan. Mazda is aiming to commence sales of a hybrid vehicle starting in Japan by 2013.

Positioning response to environmental issues as a management priority, TMC began sales of the Prius, the world’s first mass-production hybrid vehicle, in 1997. Since then, over 2.3 million TMC-produced hybrid vehicles have been delivered to customers in over 70 countries and regions. TMC recognizes the importance of benefiting the environment by encouraging the popularization of its eco-friendly technologies, which are represented by its hybrid systems. Accordingly, TMC has announced that it will consider requests from other companies to supply hybrid technology.

Based on its long-term vision for technology development, Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, Mazda aims to increase the average fuel economy of Mazda vehicles sold globally 30 percent by 2015, compared to its 2008 level. In order to offer all of its customers driving pleasure as well as outstanding eco-friendly and safety performance, Mazda is implementing a Building Block Strategy. Under this strategy, Mazda will enhance the core aspects of its vehicles - including engines, transmissions and weight reduction - and then progressively add electric devices such as idling stop, regenerative braking and hybrid systems.

Through this partnership, each company intends to offer technologies and products with outstanding environmental benefits to as many people as possible. Concept name for engines and transmissions that are intended for launch from 2011 onward.

Mazda MAZDA5 2010

National Base Price

Mazda MAZDA5 2010
Sport 4dr Minivan (2.3L 4cyl 5M)

National Base Price (excludes destination charge)
MSRP $17,995 Invoice $16,865

The 2010 Mazda 5 is a smart alternative for families interested in trading a full-size minivan's substantial utility for a lower price tag, greater maneuverability and lower fuel costs.

More nimble and maneuverable than full-size minivans, convenient sliding doors, manageable size for small families, low price.


Kids-only third row, no seven-seat option, engine can run out of steam when fully loaded.


Driving Impressions
The 2010 Mazda 5's four-cylinder engine is adequately powerful with a driver and youngster aboard, but when fully loaded, the 5 can start to wheeze. However, the 5 exhibits a nimble nature that will have it running tight little circles around conventional minivans. The sharp, communicative steering is particularly impressive. However, the 5 is still a tallish vehicle, and it certainly feels more top-heavy and tippy than the compact sedan on which it's based. The 2010 Mazda 5 gains stability and traction control as standard equipment.

New Mazda5 Previewed - forced to wear the new look

New Mazda5 Previewed

This is a case of when, not if. With the entire Mazda range adopting the big smiley corporate face, it was only a matter of time before the Mazda5 (Premacy in some markets) was forced to wear the new look. Like what you see?

The new Mazda5 will be unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March. Embracing “dynamic and elegant Nagare design”, it emits about 15 per cent less CO2 than the current model thanks to Mazda’s “i-stop” system, a new 2.0-litre direct injection petrol engine (paired with a six-speed manual for Europe) plus other measures. The Hiroshima based carmaker also claims a more comfortable ride, perhaps by retuning the suspension.

Mazda says that the 5 is the first production model to fully adopt its Nagare design language. Besides the Mazda3 style front end, there are other familiar Mazda cues such as the sculpted wheelarches, but the MPV’s flanks get wavy lines only seen on Mazda’s concepts prior to this. Nagare means flow in Japanese, and there’s certainly plenty of flow in the shape of the new 5. Inside, the dashboard design mimics the 3 and is more driver centric now.

Mazda Hydrogen Hybrid?

A car that can run on hydrogen and gasoline. Alternative fuels are good for the environment and reduce our reliance on a scarce resource, but they’re not always practical. For a while now we’ve had the technology for hydrogen cars, electric cars, biodiesel cars and more. Why aren’t they in widespread use yet? Because regular people can’t use these vehicles to meet their needs as efficiently as cars that run on Conventional fuels.

What do regular people need? A car that is reliable, reasonably priced, safe, cost effective to run, and can get them where they need to go. One of the roadblocks has been limited range for the amount of fuel a car can store. A tank of gasoline can get you about 300 miles before you have to fill up. We’re pretty used to that. We don’t have to stop for gas every hour, and there are plenty of gas stations within our range. Even if you’re travelling between cities, you can certainly find gas stations less than 300 miles apart. What if your car ran on something else? First you have the issue of how far it can go on a fill-up or a charge. We need to develop ways to store enough energy in the available space with the available technologies. This presents a problem with some of the technologies, including electric and hydrogen. The second problem is availability of fuel wherever you might want to go. Until more customers buy a fuel, it won’t be cost effective for service stations to offer it.

So what’s the solution? How are we going to move from conventional to alternative fuels, as we must do? Hybrids. We need cars that can run on an alternative fuel but also have a gasoline backup. They will greatly reduce our use of gasoline immediately, while providing the flexibility to use something we know we can rely on.

Mazda’s new Premacy Hybrid runs on Hydrogen and gasoline. This increases its range to about 125 miles, double that of the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE of 3 years ago. That’s still less than conventional fuel cars. Is it enough? For a lot of people it probably is. Especially when you consider the lower fuel costs and the fact that it produces far lower emissions.

Mazda Premacy Hydrogen Rotary Engine Hybrid

But you won’t see any new Mazda Premacy Hybrids on the road in the U.S. This technology is still in the experimental stage. Mazda has just leased a few of these cars to Iwatani, an energy development company in Japan. They’ll use the cars for business purposes and provide feedback to Mazda.
Will hydrogen hybrids become a viable option in the U.S.? It’s difficult to say. A lot depends on the advances that Mazda is able to make on hydrogen technology and on how well other technologies, especially electric hybrid cars, perform.