Mazda Sneakily Reveals Plans for New Gas Skyactiv-Z Engine
The new engines could be a sign of promise for the next-generation Mazda Miata, as well.
Back in May, Mazda joined Toyota and Subaru in announcing a wave of next-gen gas engines to come, and now the automaker has provided more details of what we might be able to expect in some financial presentation documents from the latest quarterly report. The newly planned engine should replace both the global Skyactiv-G and Skyactiv-X technologies while keeping the gas engine alive for Mazda into the 2030s. Here's what to expect from the so-called Skyactiv-Z engine family.
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Most of the details, first found and reported on by Motor1, come from a single slide of the financial report for the latest quarter, where the automaker often sneaks in announcements about where the money is being spent, including fresh research and development of something like a brand-new next-gen gas engine family, which is precisely what the named Skyactiv-Z will be.
The new family will be designed to replace and consolidate the four-cylinder Skyactiv-G and -X powertrains beginning in 2027 in Europe and the U.S., according to the presentation notes. That could mean we see the engines in new vehicles as early as the 2027 or 2028 model year.
Mazda's notes claim the Skyactiv-Z engines will utilize "the lambda one combustion method" that is designed to achieve "high thermal efficiency by realizing super lean burn combustion over a wide range from low to high rpm, to provide excellent environmental performance and driving performance." Efficiency learnings from the fresh development process will also be potentially applied to Mazda's I-6 engine family in the future as well.
There's no mention of any hybrid powertrain development here, but the next notes in the documents detail how Mazda has consolidated business strategy, technology development, and product development related to electrification into a "one-stop shop," so it's very likely it's at least part of the conversation for the next-gen four-cylinder engines. Mazda is also developing new rotary engines and has mentioned their potential for hybrid and range-extender EV applications as well, so that may work out instead or alongside these new, more mainstream new engines.
We expect this new four-cylinder could be part of development of the next-gen Mazda Miata sports car, which is expected to keep a gas powertrain as long as it can against regulations. Consider Skyactiv-Z the first public hint at we might expect to show up in that car one day, hybrid or not.
Justin Westbrook eventually began writing about new cars in college after starting an obsessive action movie blog. That developed into a career covering news, reviews, motorsports, and a further obsession with car culture and the next-gen technology and design styles that are underway, transforming the automotive industry as we know it.
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