Bring out the diet shakes and treadmills, ’cause Mazda is going on a slimming regimen. Mazda revealed their weight-saving strategy that will cut up to as much as 440 lbs (200kg) for each of the new model to come out. Thanks mostly to the improvements they’ve tried out with the Mazda2.

Instead of swapping out panels with carbon-fiber which would drive the costs up, they will be modifying the structure underneath so as not to compromise safety. They’ll also be optimizing impact force distribution. In addition, they’ve also developed lightweight material to replace heavier plastic components.

Mazda will be doing a lot to improve its fleet’s fuel efficiency by next year. Well, I’d say it’s damn well time after sticking to their rotary guns which have horrendous fuel efficiency. Still, it’s interesting how they’re achieving it by not pursuing alternative fuels or even hybrid technology. They’re doing so by slapping on technology to improve what’s already there. They’d also be introducing the smart start-stop technology to reduce engine running times to further save gas.

Source: Autocar