Mazda Motor Corp. aims to enhance the average fuel efficiency of its cars to 45 to 50 km per liter in 2020 or later as part of its efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, according to Chairman Seita Kanai.
Kanai said in an interview with Kyodo News that Mazda is focused on making gasoline vehicles more fuel-efficient, at a time when Japanese automakers see increased growth potential for electric vehicles and cars running on hydrogen, which are expected to represent the next generation of eco-friendly vehicles.
EVs and fuel-cell vehicles do not emit carbon dioxide in driving mode, but they do when generating electricity or hydrogen.
Mazda estimates that carbon dioxide emissions can be brought closer to EV levels if its cars can run 45 km or longer per liter under the current circumstances in countries such as Germany, Japan and the United States.
The automaker also believes FCVs will generate more carbon dioxide than EVs as they require production, transportation and storage of hydrogen.
"If we can make a good engine, we only need to rely on electricity a little," the chairman said. At the same time, he also pointed to the possibility of introducing a hybrid system for Mazda cars.
When plug-in hybrid vehicles are excluded, Suzuki Motor Corp.'s Alto minivehicle and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Aqua hybrid car are the most fuel-efficient vehicles in Japan, running 37 km per liter.