Mazda selects direct-injected 1.3-liter as first SkyActiv-G engine

Mazda has selected its direct-injected, 1.3-liter gasoline powerplant to head the launch of the automaker's SkyActiv engines. On May 18th, Mazda officially unveiled the 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine at the Automotive Engineering Exposition at the Pacifico Yokohama convention center near Tokyo, Japan.

The SkyActiv-G 1.3-liter mill features a compression ratio of 14.0:1 and has been engineered to be highly efficient, especially under high load at low rpm. To avoid engine knock, Mazda fitted the 1.3-liter with technologies such as piston cavities that optimize combustion and multi-hole injectors that enable precise fuel control.

Mazda will launch the SkyActiv-G 1.3 in the facelifted Demio (Mazda2) in Japan. Combined with an updated version of automaker's idle-stop system and a continuously variable transmission, the Demio's fuel efficiency comes in at 30 kilometers per liter (70.56 miles per gallon U.S.) under Japan's 10-15 mode test cycle.

As of February, 2011, Mazda had applied for more than 130 patents related to its SkyActiv-G 1.3-liter engine.