TOKYO — Mazda isn't talking much yet about its next-generation Skyactiv-X engine in the U.S. But the powerplant's rollout in Japan foreshadows how the high-tech offering plays into the carmaker's global strategy to improve its brand image and pricing power.
Skyactiv-X will be added as a powertrain option in Japan this fall in the redesigned Mazda3 small car, which went on sale here last week.
When it arrives, the four-cylinder, 2.0-liter gasoline Skyactiv-X will be the top option of four powertrains offered here, priced 25 percent higher than the 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G gasoline engine also offered.