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Mazda's "all encompassing" SkyActiv technical programme, which should cut its range's
CO2 figures by 25% and generate a 30% reduction in fuel consumption, will be instrumental in pushing fleet volume of the brand's sales up to 50% within three years.
That is the forecast from the company's UK managing director, Jeremy Thomson, a former head of fleet, who highlighted small and medium-sized fleets, plus contract hire and leasing business, as target growth areas for the next generation of Mazda vehicles.
The improvements in CO2 and mpg figures should apply to the company's sixth-generation models by 2015, starting next April with the CX-5 compact SUV crossover, the first car to embody the "holistic technological approach".
Mazda is claiming that in front-wheel drive form the CX-5, powered by a new 2.2-litre, 180hp diesel engine, will have a 119g/km CO2 rating and 60mpg and 70mpg capability.
Model lines will be replaced "from the ground up" with a combination of more efficient powertrains and lightweight body structures. That should result in a 1.6-litre, diesel-powered successor to the upper medium 6 model achieving a 105g/km CO2 level "sooner than later" and a sub-90g/km figure for a Mazda 2-sized equivalent.
SkyActiv technology, funded by a £611m ($1 billion) shares issue at the end of 2008, is designed to cut the average weight of upcoming Mazdas by 100kg, compared with predecessors.
Although Mazda's "pragmatic approach" to environmental and fuel efficiency issues cites the CX-5 as having a 9mpg advantage over a 1.5-litre Prius hybrid and comparable CO2 figures, Thomson acknowledges that the technology would provide an "intrinsically effective platform" when ultimately linked to the company's own hybrids.
He said: "We need to grasp the potential that SkyActiv offers in the corporate sector with an effective communication strategy or lose a great opportunity. The combination of improved CO2 and mpg plus great RVs and SMR figures promises much greater access to small and medium-sized businesses, and a more stable foundation for contract hire and leasing. Our aim is a 50/50 fleet/retail balance within two or three years compared to the current 30% fleet element."
Thomson hopes the CX-5 replicates the success of the 6's "closely managed" low-volume daily rental programme with National Car Rental, which he described as "the quickest way to gain recognition and benefit from paid-for corporate test drives."
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