2013 Mazda 6 Hybrid?
what do you call the propulsion system of a Mazda 6 having a Toyota Prius hybrid drivetrain shoe-horned in? Mazda Hybrid Synergy Drive?
The Mazda 6 test mule has a gear lever from a Prius, along with the rest of the Prius hybrid tech in keeping with a licensing agreement made last year between Mazda and Toyota.
Mazda says the tuning will be all Mazda however, as will the internal combustion engine to be mated to the Toyota hybrid side of things.
Mazda will also launch at least one diesel-powered vehicle in the U.S. market for 2012.
Mazda, which has built its modern reputation on the “Zoom Zoom” slogan, is working on another hybrid. (In the current Toyota Highlander hybrid, for example, the EV mode provides only a token amount of silent cruising.)
Expect Mazda’s next hybrid to pack more punch than a Prius (which has a combined system output of 134 hp), and use the company’s efficient Skyactiv gasoline four-cylinder as the ICE part of the powertrain. Mazda’s decision to get more involved in the hybrid market is hardly shocking, and licensing proven tech from Toyota is the fiscally responsible way for a small company to do it.
It's believed that zoom-zoom automaker Mazda is working closely with Toyota on a Mazda6 equipped with Hybrid Synergy Drive. In fact, spy shots reveal the rumored-to-launch-in-2013 Mazda6 hybrid makes use of a Toyota Prius-sourced gear lever and EV mode button.
Word is the hybrid Mazda6 uses a 155-horsepower SkyActiv engine that will make its U.S. debut in the 2012 Mazda3. Not Hybrid.
