Mazda To Pull Hybrid Hare Out Of Hat

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Despite their huge drive to wring every last drop of mileage out of the ICU, with new direct injection engines and idling stop function for all cars, Mazda will not stand around idle while the rest of the world is hyper to jump on the hybrid bandwagon. In 2013, Mazda wants to introduce a midsize hybrid. And out of what hat did they pull that Flemish Giant of a rabbit? As predicted by our resident sage Cammy Corrigan, the essential gadgetry comes courtesy of Toyota.

The Nikkei [sub] has it that “the two automakers have reached a final agreement under which Toyota will supply the Toyota Hybrid System II, comprising a high-capacity battery, an electric motor, a generator and a power control unit. This system, designed for use with an engine of 2 liters or smaller, is ideal for small and midsize hybrids. Among Toyota hybrids, THS II is employed in the current-generation Prius.”

And what about sales? Toyota group parts manufacturers will sell the hybrid innards “at an initial rate of tens of thousands of units a year.” Mazda will combine the components with a (so far unspecified, keep guessing) “new gasoline engine and create the hybrid version of a mainstay midsize passenger car.”

And what’s in it for Toyota to supply a competitor with strategically important gizmology? According to the Nikkei, “for Toyota, the arrangement will help lower related production costs through economies of scale. Mazda will be the first company outside the Toyota group to receive large-scale supplies of such core components.” The way it sounds, not the last.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Z72_Silvy Z72_Silvy on Mar 26, 2010

    Mazda can't use Ford's work with hybrids as Ford's work is still in its infancy. This isn't a blast of Ford. It simply states that Ford's R&D budget for hybrid technology is far behind that of GM. Ford doesn't (yet) have the experience with hybrid technology to be a big player. I'll give them credit for bringing hybrids to market with the Fusion and Escape, but their lack of experience shows as both those vehicle's gasoline counterparts achieve near the same fuel economy ratings as the hybrids. Once the Volt commences sales this summer, Ford will have nothing to compete.

  • Nikita Nikita on Mar 26, 2010

    Ford has been the most conservative company, engineering wise, for most of its life. That may pay off, even if losing "green cred" to others. 100's of thousands of turbo gas ICE's, tuned for economy, may be a better way to raise CAFE than selling 10's of thousands of hybrids, or worse, a few plug-in electrics. For myself, a Fiesta, not an Insight, will be my next car. Aside from the fun factor, cost/benefit still favors a conventional drive train, tuned for economy, rather than whiz-bang engineering.

  • Srogers Srogers on Mar 26, 2010

    Z72_silvy; I see the Fusion Hybrid rated at 41city /36hwy. The Fusion 2.5 is rated 22city /31hwy. How in hell do you figure this-> "gasoline counterparts achieve near the same fuel economy ratings as the hybrids."

  • Uncle Mellow Uncle Mellow on Mar 26, 2010

    Mazda have already been running hybrid Premacy/Mazda 5 models in Japan with wankel engines. Not sure if they used petrol or hydrogen , or if the engine powered the transmission or just charged the batteries.

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