(July 3, 2012) HIROSHIMA, Japan — Mazda today announced it will double production capacity at its engine plant in Hiroshima. Production volume will increase from 400,000 units to 800,000 units per year in October. The plant produces SKYACTIV-D diesel engines and SKYACTIV-G gasoline engines.

The capacity increase is made in response to increasing demand for cars incorporating the company's SKYACTIV technology.
 
The SKYACTIV-G is a highly efficient, new-generation direct-injection gasoline engine. Mazda engineers overcame the problem of abnormal combustion, commonly known as "knocking," to achieve the world's highest compression ratio for a mass production gasoline engine. It is presently available in the Mazda Demio for the Japanese market, the Mazda Axela (known overseas as the Mazda3) for the North American and Australian market, and the Mazda CX-5, currently being launched in markets around the world including the U.S.

It will also be available in the next generation Mazda Atenza (known in the U.S. as Mazda6) to be released later this year.

The SKYACTIV-D is a new-generation clean diesel engine that complies with global exhaust gas regulations without the need for a costly nitrogen oxide (NOx) aftertreatment system. It achieves the world's lowest compression ratio for a mass production diesel engine for vehicles. The first model to be equipped with the SKYACTIV-D is the Mazda CX-5 for the Japanese, European and Australian markets.

Mazda intends to sell 1,700,000 units globally in the fiscal year ending March 2016. Models employing SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY are expected to account for 80 percent of total sales.