MAZDA IS betting the farm on its new frugal SkyActiv technology as it seeks to revive stuttering sales and failing finances. The Japanese car maker, which posted a $1.2 billion loss last year is introducing the new fuel-saving tech to Ireland this week in the new CX-5 crossover.
The CX-5 uses Mazda’s latest 2.2 148bhp diesel engine and an equally new lightweight steel structure, which sees its fuel consumption trimmed to a claimed 4.6-litres per 100km and its emissions kept to a Band-A-friendly 119g/km, one of the most competitive figures in its class.
Prices start from €25,195 for the 2.0-litre petrol model, which also gets SkyActiv tech to keep its CO2 figures down to 139g/km, comparable to some of its diesel-powered rivals, while the entry-level diesel model will start at €28,245.
That means it’s cheaper than the rival Ford Kuga, but significantly more expensive than a Nissan Qashqai 1.5 diesel, a car that Mazda does not see as a direct competitor, but which many potential buyers will doubtless compare it to.
Mazda will be hoping that the CX-5’s larger, sportier engine and its standard equipment levels (which include Bluetooth phone, a colour TFT dash display, stop-start functionality) will help it bridge the gap.
Mazda sales in Ireland have stalled this year, as they have in the rest of the world, falling from just over 1,100 in the first three months of 2011 to 806 this year.
But the firm will be counting on the CX-5, entering as it does the massively popular compact SUV sector, will lift both Mazda’s image and sales ahead of the launch of the all-new Mazda 6 saloon (also benefiting from SkyActiv) in January.