Times change fairly quickly in the automotive industry - it wasn’t too long ago that Mazda announced that it had no interest in hybrid cars.
However, that all changed when the manufacturer first announced it would make diesel options and then followed that with a focus on more efficient, direct injection technology. Now it has officially declared that it will ramp up the engineering and design of hybrid models in an effort to bring several to market before 2020.
Following the launch of the Mazda3, officials from the company stated their goals by announcing they would put hybrid powertrains into existing models soon as the company plays catch up with its competition.
According to Mazda executive vice president Phillip Spender, it will be some time during the “20-teens” that the company will be engineering these models though it will try to pull that forward if possible. He also admitted that the company’s discussions over hybrid models have been prompted, at least in part, by the fact that almost everybody else is going down a similar route.
New CAFE requirements are also believed to be a spur for the manufacturer. It is well aware of their targets in terms of efficiency and miles per gallon and must improve in some sectors to meet these requirements. The hybrid models will help the company achieve this goal.
Mazda hybrids are expected to be offered as an option rather than as a standalone model in the mould of the Toyota Prius or Honda Insight.
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