New Mazda3 hybrid due next year

Mazda’s first hybrid will be based on an all-new Mazda3 small-car due next year.

The Japanese car maker announced in 2010 it would release its first hybrid model in Japan in 2013, following a deal to combine Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system with its own SKYACTIV engine technology.

Mazda Motor Corporation President and CEO Takashi Yamanouchi told motoring.com.au the technology will debut in an all-new SKYACTIV-based Mazda model. Other senior Mazda sources have previously indicated that model will be the new Mazda3.

This is despite the fact the current Mazda2, released in Australia in September 2007, would typically be due for replacement before the existing Mazda3, which arrived in April 2009 – making it less than four years old.

“It makes sense to prioritise investment where the volume is – and that’s the Mazda3, both globally and in Australia,” said an unnamed Mazda executive.

The compact Mazda3 last year dethroned Holden’s Commodore as Australia’s most popular model, and so far this year remains ahead of a field of hard-chasing rivals that includes Toyota’s HiLux and Corolla, and Holden’s Cruze and Commodore.

While the third-generation Mazda3 will replace Australia’s current top-selling car, the hybrid version is unlikely to grace local showrooms in the foreseeable future.

“It’s not on our radar at this stage,” said Mazda Australia national marketing manager Alastair Doak.

Mazda has committed to releasing eight new SKYACTIV-based models by 2016 and an all-new Mazda2 is expected to quickly follow the new Mazda3 sedan and hatch.

The new Mazda3 will employ a variation of the SKYACTIV body, chassis, engine and transmission technologies that first appeared in the CX-5 SUV and will also underpin the new Mazda6 due early next year.

A redesigned CX-9 full-size SUV will be the last new-generation Mazda model to emerge, following the release of an updated MX-5 sportscar in 2014. That will leave the workhorse BT-50 ute as the only non-SKYACTIV model in Mazda’s range.

The Hiroshima-based car maker recently announced it would double production of SKYACTIV engines, while annual production of the CX-5 – Australia’s second-most popular mid-size SUV behind the Nissan X-Trail – has increased from 160,000 to 200,000 following strong global demand.

The CX-5 will soon face renewed competition, however, from new compact SUVs like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester; while the new Mazda3 will vie for small-car dominance with Toyota’s new Corolla (due next month), Nissan’s all-new Pulsar and VW’s Golf 7.

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