Next month’s Tokyo Auto Show promises to feature a wealth of alternative fuel vehicles, and Mazda will be highlighting its green side with a number of variations on the new Mazda3, which is known as the Axela in the home market. Making its world premiere, the Mazda3 SkyActiv-CNG Concept is fitted with a specially, albeit lightly, modified SkyActiv 4-cylinder engine that can burn either conventional gasoline or compressed natural gas. This one-off reportedly has very serious production potential, although it seems unlikely to turn up in the U.S.
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Joining the CNG Concept on the Mazda stand will be the latest Mazda3 Hybrid. A sedan-only model currently destined for the Japanese market, this gas-electric 4-door pairs a dedicated version of automaker’s 2.0-liter SkyActiv 4-cylinder gasoline engine with a Toyota-sourced hybrid system similar to the one found in the latest Prius. Expect complete details on both of these Mazda3 models as well as on the new Mazda3 SkyActiv-D variant with the 2.2-liter turbodiesel engine at their formal reveals.
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