Mazda's next-gen engine may signal U.S. pricing strategy

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.

X marks the pinnacle because it blends the best of the Skyactiv-G engine and the Skyactiv-D diesel engine that sit below it, chief engineer Kota Beppu said a briefing here last week.

"It combines the advantages of both," Beppu said. "It was developed as the top-end engine."

Using a technology called spark-controlled compression ignition, Skyactiv-X promises to deliver the driving dynamics and clean emissions of a gasoline engine and the low-end torque and fuel economy of a diesel. Skyactiv-X is also combined with a mild-hybrid system to ensure linear acceleration and spirited driving.

How this will translate to U.S. showrooms is unclear. Mazda CEO Akira Marumoto said last week it is definitely coming to North America but declined to give a time frame. Mazda still hasn't clearly publicized plans to bring Skyactiv-X to the U.S. The redesigned Mazda3 hit U.S. lots in March with the 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G engine as its only option, for now.

Mazda may fear that talking up Skyactiv-X before its sales begin will hurt Skyactiv-G sales. Spokeswoman Yukari Hara said product announcements are closely tied to marketing plans.

Skyactiv-X is one of a slew of technologies Mazda Motor Corp. plans to introduce in a bid to move the brand more upmarket. Marumoto said this month he wants to expand the carmaker's offerings and widen the range of sticker prices its vehicles can command.

The goal is to keep Mazda's entry-level price but extend the range upward with other offerings and variants. In Japan, Skyactiv-X follows that playbook.

A Mazda3 upper-trim, L-package sedan with a 2.0-liter, Skyactiv-G engine has a suggested sticker of about ¥2.65 million ($24,000), including tax. With a Skyactiv-X, the price jumps to $30,075.

Mazda hasn't released key Skyactiv-X specifications, including horsepower, torque or fuel economy ratings.

But Mazda says Skyactiv-X delivers a 20 to 30 percent improvement in fuel economy over the Skyactiv-G in the outgoing Mazda3 and 10 percent better torque.