Mazda unveils fuel-efficient concept car

Mazda Motor Corp. unveiled a gasoline-powered concept vehicle with fuel efficiency as high as gas-electric hybrid vehicles. The Japanese automaker will exhibit the Kiyora compact concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show, which starts October 23 in Chiba, east of Tokyo. The Kiyora, which has an engine displacement of 1,300 cc, can drive 32 kilometers on a liter of gasoline, offering one of the world’s highest fuel economy rating for cars of its class, exceeding the 30 kilometers per liter of Honda Motor Co.’s Insight hybrid. The Kiyora is equipped with newly developed Mazda technologies, including a direct injection engine with improved combustion and a fuel-efficient transmission. The vehicle also has an idling stop system and regenerative braking, a system that recaptures energy generated during the braking process to charge the battery. (September 30, 2009)