Mazda may be replacing its Mazda2 sub-compact car with one based off the European Toyota Yaris in a bid to meet Europe’s increasingly strict emissions regulations.
Though Mazda didn’t confirm it per se, it could be inferred based on statements the Japanese automaker made in its latest earning reports.
After announcing an emissions-pooling deal with Toyota in Europe to avoid paying penalties there last year, Mazda is going a step further. The automaker said that a Yaris-based car, especially in hybrid form, is another way for them to achieve emissions compliance.
The latest generation Toyota Yaris is a full-hybrid pairing a three-cylinder engine with a lithium-ion battery for the first time. It reduces tailpipe emissions by more than 20 percent compared with the previous-generation hybrid.
Meanwhile, the current Mazda2 was first launched globally in 2014, and refreshed last year to include mild-hybrid technology.
The new Mazda could be built in Toyota’s factory in Kolin, Czech Republic, which currently builds minicars for Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen under a joint venture between PSA and Toyota. Toyota will take full ownership of the plant next year.
Toyota owns a 5 percent stake in Mazda as part of a cross-holding deal agreed in 2017, and the two are partnering on a new electric vehicle along with Subaru.
Mazda will also use Toyota’s hybrid technology in a new SUV to be built in two companies’ new joint venture U.S. plant in Huntsville, Alabama, as well as in a new model for China, Mazda said in its financial report.
Meanwhile, it’s expected that Toyota’s luxury division, Lexus will benefit from Mazda’s upcoming large car platform which features a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. It will also use longitudinally-mounted inline-6 engines as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to comment or share your views. Comments that are derogatory and/or spam will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to moderate and/or remove comments.