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Mazda says Skyactiv-X will come to the U.S, but not when

Mazda executives say the new 2.0-liter Skyactiv-X powerplant will still take some time to arrive to the North American market. The Skyactiv-X is a high-compression gasoline engine, and its 16:1 compression ratio is comparable to that of a diesel engine. "We have a lot of technology. And we are introducing each technology in each region when the time is right," said Mazda North America CEO Masahiro Moro at the SAE International WCX Conference, according to Automotive News. Moro stated that while the Skyactiv-X can indeed pass EPA emissions regulations, it's not in the immediate pipeline for U.S-bound Mazdas; the slightly less hardcore Skyactiv-G will be amended first. The launch-spec 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G engine in the new Mazda 3 will reportedly be supplemented by a 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G, which also has a bold compression ratio: according to Mazda, its ratio of 14:1 is the highest of any production gasoline engine. However, Moro didn't state the exact timeline for that Skyactiv-G's arrival, either. The compression ratio of the 2.5-liter "big block" available now is 13:1. In the 2019 model-year Miata roadster, the 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G makes 181 horsepower, and an earlier Slovakian Euro-spec leak mentioned the 2.0-liter 3's power figure at 164hp. The bottom line is thermal efficiency through being able to extract more energy out of gasoline, and moving from G to X would improve fuel economy by 20-30 percent while giving more power. If the Slovakian specifications are to be believed, the Skyactiv-X would make 178h p and 164 lb-ft in the Mazda3.

Recharge Wrap-up: 61 miles on Autopilot; Mazda CX-9's 32% mpg improvement

A technology analyst at The Motley Fool used Tesla's Autopilot uninterrupted for 61 miles. In order to see how far the Tesla Model S could drive itself without driver intervention, Daniel Sparks set off on the highway from Monument, Colorado, through Colorado Springs and onward toward Pueblo. Only when a truck encroached on his lane did the driver take command of the wheel, rather than waiting to see what the car would do. "With [the] Model S nearly out of Pueblo and onto a long, boring stretch of highway by the time I had to grab the wheel, chances are I could have made it all the way to Colorado City if it wasn't for this interruption," says Sparks. Read the full account at The Motley Fool. The 2016 Mazda CX-9 offers 32 percent better fuel economy than the outgoing model. The front-wheel-drive CX-9, equipped with Mazda's Skyactiv-G 2.5T engine, gets an EPA-estimated 22 mpg city/28 mpg highway/25 mpg combined. The 2016 CX-9 has shed significant weight compared to its predecessor. Its turbocharged engine uses a Dynamic Pressure Turbo system, which improves performance at lower rpm by controlling the degree of exhaust pulsation according to engine speed. The new CX-9 goes on sale this spring. Read more at Green Car Congress. A group of eight US cities have formed the Energy Secure Cities Coalition (ESCC), pledging to switch their fleets over to alternative fuels. Atlanta, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Orlando, Rochester, Sacramento, San Diego and West Palm Beach will retire their petroleum-powered vehicles in favor of EVs and cars using cleaner fuels like natural gas. The cities expect the change to help improve air quality and save taxpayer money on fuel and maintenance costs. The ESCC hopes to grow to include 25 major cities, removing some 50,000 petroleum-fueled vehicles from service and saving 500,000 barrels of oil per year. Read more in the press release below. Eight Major Cities Unite to form Energy Secure Cities Coalition—Fleets Embracing Alternative Fuels to Improve America's National and Economic Security Coalition's goal is to retire 50,000 petroleum-powered vehicles, saving tens of millions in taxpayer dollars and improving U.S. national and economic security. Washington, D.C.

2020 Mazda3 gets five-star overall rating from NHTSA

Mazda is adding another figurative piece of silverware for its heralded Mazda3, this time in the form of a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The designation applies to both the hatchback and four-door sedan, and front- or all-wheel-drive versions. Mazda’s entry-level compact, which underwent a dramatic redesign for 2019, notched five-star ratings across the board: frontal crash, side crash and rollover crash tests. The Mazda3 has also been named Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, with top scores on all crash tests and ease of use of the LATCH child-seat system, but an acceptable rating for its headlights as the only slight ding. Mazda opted to make its i-Activsense safety technology system standard on the 3 for 2020. It covers NHTSAÂ’s recommendations of having forward collision warning, lane departure warning, crash imminent braking and dynamic brake support, and it adds features like blind-spot monitoring, driver attention alert, automatic on-off LED headlights and rain-sensing windshield wipers. The fourth-generation car also got a stiffer body with a 10-fold increase in high-strength steel and a revamped suspension. Mazda sold 50,741 examples of the Mazda3 last year, which made it the automakerÂ’s No. 2 nameplate, though well behind the CX-5, which moved 154,545 units. Sales in January were off 45.7% from the prior year, when the new version wasnÂ’t yet on sale, suggesting that despite its distinctive looks and accolades from the motoring press, the Mazda3 is fighting an uphill battle against crossover-dom. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.