Achieving essential reduction of environmental burden

As a part of its initiatives to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050,
Mazda has adopted the Multi-Solution approach and set an essential CO2 emission reduction goal
from a Well-to-Wheel perspective.

Multi-Solution

Each local market has its own legal regulations, infrastructure challenges and the way people use cars. In short, car companies need to cater to broad, diverse needs around the world.

To provide the “right” models to every market, Mazda has developed SKYACTIV Multi-solution Scalable Architecture for providing appropriate combinations of internal combustion engines and electrification technology to each market.

Mazda’s Large Products Technology is built upon its Multi-solution Architecture,
which was developed for use in a longitudinal power unit that accommodates mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid,
straight-four and straight-six gasoline, and straight-six diesel engines.

The Technology is being applied to Mazda’s Large Products, a group of four midsize SUVs that are bigger than the MAZDA CX-5 and CX-50
with a broader price range, to be launched by the end of 2023.

The purposes of the Large Product group are two-fold:

The automotive industry today is going through once-in-a-century paradigm shift.
To keep up with the current requirements best represented by CASE– Connected (IoT), Autonomous driving (Autonomous car),
Shared (Car sharing) and Electric (EV), Mazda has adopted the following three policies.

Evolving “human-centric design”

Mazda is a car company that celebrates driving by delivering “Jinba Ittai” driving experience.

Like a horse rider who is at one with its horse, Mazda wants drivers to be touched, energized and gain confidence in driving, and share the joy of travel with their passengers through a comfortable cabin space.

To achieve this vision, Mazda has adopted a unique approach based on its “human-centric product development philosophy”, which was further evolved for the Large Products Technology.

For a platform characterized by a longitudinal engine layout and rear wheel drive-based AWD,
an ideal front-rear weight distribution was achieved to equalize weight on each tire. Together with fine handling and enhanced stability, driving dynamics was greatly improved by combining AWD with rear wheel drive.

To create vehicles with bigger power and size that drivers can control with confidence, like an extension of their body, Mazda paid attention to how people can use tools, such as chopsticks and hammers, like a part of their body (physical expansion capability). With this in mind, Mazda worked on “vehicle’s swift response to driver’s operation (synchronization) ,” “maintaining synchronization by eliminating the impact generated by disturbances, such as uneven road surface and change of driver’s operation,” and “design that enables driver to feel the vehicle response through five human senses.”

Vehicle’s swift response to driver’s operation (synchronization)

Taking advantage of the benefits of the longitudinal engine layout architecture, heavy parts are mounted at the center of vehicle’s gravity. This reduced inertia mass and converts force generated by four tires into a turning motion without delay.

From steering, front suspension and to rear suspension rigidity, stiffness is increased downstream in the order of force transmission as a result of reviewing an overall rigidity distribution. Synchronization of vehicle’s response to the driver’s operation is accelerated by seamless force transmission.

Maintaining synchronization by eliminating the impact generated by uneven road surface and change of driver’s operation

Stabilizing cabin’s motion caused by external disturbance, such as change in road surface, is critical. That is why double wishbone front suspension and full multi-link rear suspension were selected for SUVs in Mazda’s Large Product group. Strokes are smoothed by aligning tire’s upward and downward directions of motion, and spring follows a vehicle’s turning force in a simple motion. This ensures stable synchronization with the driver’s operation.

Suspension was designed to maximize Kinematic Posture Control (KPC), a vehicle dynamics control technology that is designed to reduce roll during cornering and lowers the vehicle body to stabilize turning posture. The outcome is a highly efficient vehicle turning posture.

A design that allows the driver to accurately feel the vehicle response through all five senses

Mazda takes the “richness of sensory stimulation” seriously, which translates to a seat that connects driver and vehicle, and engine sound. By using a design that allows the driver to accurately feel the vehicle response through five human senses, such as the seat’s pressure on the back as the driver further pushes on the accelerator pedal, profound sound and fluctuating line of sight, the state of synchronization with the vehicle and an uplifting driving feel are reinforced.

To evolve vehicle handling stability, Mazda leveraged human capabilities to give drivers an “at-will” control of their vehicle.
Both drivers and passengers are less likely to feel carsick or fatigue from being in a driving vehicle.
Driving feels increasingly enjoyable and rhythmical.