NEWS
Toyota to go 'SKYACTIV'
American publication reports that Toyota will focus more effort on internal-combustion engine efficiencyToyota's global powertrain guru has told respected industry journal, Automotive News, that the company is embarked on following the engine development path already blazed by Mazda with its SKYACTIV program.
Koei Saga, Toyota's senior managing officer in charge of powertrain development, told Automotive News in a report published yesterday that a new two-pronged program will see Toyota reduce development costs by sharing engine parts across different engine architectures and improve fuel efficiency by up to 30 per cent.
The first approach is much the same concept as Mazda's Monotsukuri Innovation, which is a lesser known but integral component of Hiroshima's SKYACTIV program. And Toyota's aim to boost fuel efficiency by 30 per cent is also an idea shared with SKYACTIV.
The Automotive News report notes that "Toyota is playing catch-up," but won't allow its lead in hybrid-drive system technology to slip away, even so. It is, however, a major turn-around for Toyota, which may drop the V6 engine from the global Camry line-up and instead adopt a turbo four-cylinder.
"We are spending more time concentrating on improving the basic performance of engines," Saga was quoted saying during an interview last week. "That means we can maintain leadership in the market for a long time."
The new shared engine componentry program is to be implemented under the banner of Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), with the first cars built according to the philosophy already on sale in the guise of the Japanese domestic market Passo (pictured), a 1.0-litre hatchback that boasts 30 per cent improved fuel economy. It's an important step forward for Toyota, which expects shortly to sell more than 10 million cars a year.
Joining the Passo's new engine – which draws in part on auto stop/start technology to save fuel – will be 13 more engines reaching the market this year.
TNGA engines will power Toyota models for the next 10 to 15 years, the report indicates.
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