Mazda fully committed to petrol engines: Japanese brand announces 2027 Mazda CX-5 will get new four-cylinder 'Skyactiv-Z' engine, potentially with hybrid boost

Mazda has announced it will release a new low-emissions, four cylinder internal combustion engine in 2027.

Revealed in the brand’s second-quarter financial report, the new engine will be known as the Skyactiv-Z and will replace the current Skyactiv-G and Skyactiv-X engines, the former of which is used in Mazda’s most popular models, such as the Mazda CX-3 and CX-5.

The new four-cylinder engine will almost certainly be hybrid compatible, and is poised to make its debut on the next generation CX-5 in 2027 given its release coincides with the timeline for the model's planned introduction. The next CX-5 will use Mazda's in-house hybrid system.

Mazda says the new Skyactiv-Z engine will be compliant with incoming Euro 7 and US EPA’s Tier 4 standards thanks to its utilisation of the ‘Lambda one’ combustion method.

Lambda, or “λ” in the Greek alphabet, indicates the amount of oxygen in the engine during the combustion process. A ratio of 1.0 represents an equal fuel to oxygen equivalence.

According to Mazda, that means the engine “achieves a high thermal efficiency by realising super lean burn combustion over a wide range from low to high rpm, to provide excellent environmental performance and driving performance.”

In simple terms, all of the fuel is burnt off, creating fewer harmful pollutants.

Mazda said the engine's development process will also inform plans to make the company's six-cylinder engines cleaner.

In the meantime, Mazda confirmed that it will borrow hybrid technology from Toyota for the next-generation CX-50, a compact SUV cross over that it currently sells in the US and China.

Additionally, Mazda revealed plans to strengthen the research and development of its rotary engines, having reassembled a dedicated team in Japan this February.

The rotary engine, which first debuted for Mazda in 1961, returned last year on the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV, where it serves as a range-extender. It is expected to feature again in the production version of the Iconic SP sports car.

Earlier this year, Toyota announced its own plans to introduce a new line of low-emissions four-cylinder engines at a joint conference with Mazda and Subaru as a part of the companies' strategic alliance.

Subaru also recently announced its new Crosstrek hybrid, which will also borrow its hybrid technology from Toyota.