(November 15, 2009) Mazda is working to reduce its vehicle weights by at least 220 pounds beginning in 2011, with a combination of lighter-weight materials, smaller vehicle footprints and new engineering processes, a top executive says.

The typical Mazda vehicle has gained 80 pounds with each successive redesign, “mostly in larger tires and wheels, and safety equipment,” said Robert Davis, senior vice president of product development and quality for Mazda North American Operations.

For example, the curb weight of a base 2003 Protege sedan was 2,634 pounds. The Protege evolved into the redesigned, 2,696-pound Mazda3 sedan in 2004 and ballooned into the 2010 Mazda3, which weighs 2,868 pounds.

Reducing a vehicle's curb weight by 220 pounds will improve its fuel economy 3 to 5 percent, Davis said in a speech last week.