Mazda2

Mazda has announced that they are developing a new electric vehicle (EV) in Japan, with plans to commence leasing the new Mazda cars to customers by the Spring of 2012. The new EV is going to be based on the popular Mazda2 and is expected to have a range of around 125 miles, with the target customer market initially being local government bodies and fleet users.

Mazda will also prioritise the improvement of its core  products by also developing more efficient engines and transmissions plus reducing vehicle weight, in a bid to save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions. In addition they will also be introducing other technology to their car range, including regenerative braking and hybrid powertrain systems.

The award is in recognition of the technical advances that Toyota has made with the third generation Prius, which delivers more power with even better fuel efficiency and lower emissions, from its full hybrid powertrain.