Toyota, Mazda swap tech for small SUV, EV
Top Japanese car-makers join forces to share their signature technologies in all-new modelsToyota and Mazda will exchange powertrain technologies to create all-new models including an all-new compact SUV from the world's largest car-maker and Mazda's first electric vehicle.
Last month Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda and Mazda’s president Masamichi Kogai shook hands to seal a deal that will see the two companies sharing their latest innovations to keep pace with developments in Europe while meeting tough new emissions laws in the US.
Mazda’s SKYACTIV-D clean-diesel engine, which first appeared in the CX-5, is a beefy, efficient powerplant that delivers the muscular bottom- to mid-range torque output currently unavailable available in Toyota’s hybrids, which is why the world's biggest car-maker wants to incorporate it into its SUVs and people-movers.
A source close to Toyota told us the company is currently working on a new Prius-based SUV that will employ Mazda’s 1.5-litre SKYACTIV diesel and deliver "well over 800km from a tank, comparable mileage to the Toyota hybrid and a far better driving experience".
It's not clear whether the all-new compact SUV – previewed by the C-HR concept at last year's Paris motor show and pictured here in a rendering from Japan's Best Car magazine – will also employ hybrid tech, in the form of either a petrol-electric or diesel-electric powertrain.
But it goes without saying that Toyota’s main market for SKYACTIV diesel-powered vehicles including the upcoming compact SUV will be Europe, for which it is likely to employ Mazda's diesel power in everything from the tiny Aygo to the Lexus LS.
Meanwhile, Mazda has always stated the final element of its 'building block' powertrain strategy is all-electric power and it will use Toyota’s plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell technology for a range of next-generation models, including its first EV.
This will allow the manufacturer to meet the stringent Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulations coming into force in California in 2018.
Toyota and Mazda are co-developing a new BMW i3-sized EV that will employ Toyota’s EV technology and target the US and Japanese markets.
The joint-venture vehicle follows similar arrangements with the Toyota/Subaru-developed 86 and BRZ sports car, while Toyota also has a co-development deal with BMW that will result in a born-again Supra and a replacement for BMW's Z4 using shared PHEV and carbon-fibre construction technologies. Toyota's next Yaris is also expected to be based on the Mazda2 and built in Mexico for the US.
The Best Car artist’s impression you see here shows a boxy Mazda-badged EV that measures 3700mm long and 1695mm wide. Sources say both new EVs, which will be front-wheel drive and offer a driving range of about 200km, have a target price of around $30,000.
Toyota and Mazda have confirmed their deal including sharing of fuel cell tech and it's possible the joint EV could simply be reskinned versions of Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell-powered Mirai sedan.
In addition to reducing R&D costs for both companies and meeting the ZEV regulations, the Toyota-Mazda EV JV would further stimulate the fledgling fuel-cell industry and help generate momentum to build more hydrogen refuelling stations.
At the same time, it could add impetus to Mazda’s own hydrogen rotary-powered sports car project that has been in the works for nearly a decade, helping bring to reality the long-awaited replacement for the RX-7 – potentially with dual-fuel petrol and hydrogen capability.
Image: Best Car
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