Japanese automaker Mazda, which until recently had vowed to stay out of the hybrid realm, says that it has inked an agreement to use Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system paired to its own new generation of highly efficient Sky engines.
Mazda says that it will launch a hybrid vehicle in Japan by 2013 and North American sales are likely to follow. It is unclear whether Mazda will mate the hybrid system to both its Sky gasoline and diesel engines, the latter of which the automaker has claimed equal existing hybrid fuel economy and emissions outputs.
Mazda will license the same technology that Toyota has used in its Prius, Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid vehicles – among others.
This isn’t the first time that Toyota has allowed another automaker access to its Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which powers all of its hybrid vehicles. Nissan has built its Altima Hybrid using licensed Hybrid Synergy Drive technology since 2007, although the four-door sedan is sold in only a handful of North American markets.
Mazda hasn’t confirmed which models will get the Toyota-licensed hybrid powertrain in North America, but sales seem likely to begin in 2014.
Once a hybrid Mazda using Toyota technology arrives, it won’t mark the first Mazda-badged hybrid in North America. The automaker’s Ford-built and designed Tribute small SUV (pictured) is offered with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to a CVT and an electric motor, although sales figures are low.
Reports have also indicated that Mazda is considering a diesel-powered CX-7 crossover for the North American market in an effort to meet ever-stringent fuel economy standards.
