Jeremy Bass•24 Oct 2013
NEWS
TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Natural gas for Mazda3
Mazda will unveil a SKYACTIV-CNG variant of its all-important Mazda3, but for the time being it's only a conceptMazda will use next month’s Tokyo motor show to showcase a compressed natural gas (CNG) variant of its third-generation Mazda3, which goes on sale in Australia early next year.
The SKYACTIV-CNG Concept arrives to fulfill what the company says is increasing global demand for CNG-fuelled engines, which cut CO2 emissions by up to 20 per cent compared to equivalent petrol engines.
The prospect of a CNG option would give Mazda’s crucial compact unprecedented diversity of powertrain choice, with petrol, diesel and hybrid variants already turning up in different markets. Australia already gets petrol and diesel; the hybrid was revealed last week and will also debut at the Tokyo show, but will be restricted to Japan for the time being.
The SKYACTIV-CNG Concept uses a dual-fuel system adding a CNG option to parallel the conventional direct-injection petrol package. Mazda pointed out that the addition of the high-pressure CNG fuel line was simplified by the existing engine’s high compression ratio.
Vehicles with CNG engines reduce emissions by about 20 per cent compared to those with gasoline engines of the same displacement.
Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver says the company is still deciding on whether to take the concept to production.
“It remains a concept at this stage, with no firm decision either way,” he told motoring.com.au.
“While SKYACTIV-CNG is a possible future technology direction for Mazda, it’ll be market demand that ultimately decides whether it goes on sale as a full production model. But I certainly wouldn’t expect to see a CNG-powered Mazda3 on sale in Australia in the short term.”
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Written byJeremy Bass
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists
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