Mazda SkyActiv Inline-6?!

I welcome our Cummins-like powered MX-5 overlords. 

Once upon a time there were a number of near-premium brands. They all came on hard times. Perhaps Mazda's unique reputation will allow them to thrive in this market space. If Mazda is a brand which sells disproportionately to enthusiasts, perhaps there are enough people willing to pay for a more powerful engine? Luxury cars account for a disproportionately large amount of auto industry profits, so the potential upside is significant. We keep hearing about how company size matters, how consolidation is necessary, but really it's profits which are needed to fund investment, keep shareholders happy, etc.

On the flip side, for a long time Mazda seems to have gone against the grain, by selling not terribly powerful engines. Their more powerful offerings didn't seem to be very popular.

I'm surprised I6s are making a resurgence. The ability do to a hot-V turbo setup, packaging, CoG and cost would seem to make the V6 the more logical choice. In Mercedes case their 4.0L V8 is wonderful, I have to imagine would have been very easy to lob off 2 cylinders, rather than design something from the ground up.

I love the sound of a straight six

The longitudinal layout has me intrigued because the MX-5 is their only car with one, but I don't think Mazda would share that transmission with a 6 cylinder nor make it RWD based if it's going to be shared with another platform.

Are they going to do a weird longitudinal engine with FWD transmission like a Dodge Intrepid?

Word has it Mazda purchased tooling for the Atlas I6. And as long as the noses are on their current line, they should be ok with I8s.....

But seriously, I hope that they do it. I6s are great, and have a certain cachet to luxury buyers that 4 bangers lack.  

In reply to j_tso :

My guess is either that the next-gen Mazda6 goes RWD/AWD like the Caddy ATS or BMW 3/4-series, or that they bring out a bigger RWD sedan to go against the Genesis and Stinger (Mazda9, perhaps?). Maybe we'll get a RWD luxury coupe too, like the return of the Cosmo?

Kreb said:

 

.... I6s are great, and have a certain cachet to luxury buyers that 4 bangers lack.  

Ain't that the truth!  I drove a 2019 Mercedes E300 recently, and it was hampered by the 2.0 Turbo four.  Buzzy, rough, so very much NOT an appropriate powerplant for an executive sedan.

Yeah, my guess is they'll do a luxury RWD coupe and call it the MX-6, since they recently renewed rights to that name. Along with the 6 and maybe a 9. (I sorta liked the last 929 they sold in the 90s). 

Snrub said:

Once upon a time there were a number of near-premium brands. They all came on hard times. Perhaps Mazda's unique reputation will allow them to thrive in this market space.

The usual problem most of the near-premium brands have suffered from wasn't a lack of demand for near-premium vehicles, so much as near-premium options creeping into their in-house competitors. Buying a Mercury Milan didn't make much sense when you could outfit a Ford Fusion with leather seats and power everything.

Buzzy, rough, so very much NOT an appropriate powerplant for an executive sedan.

Well, I haven't heard much complaining from the Volvo S90/XC90 crowd, and I strongly suspect there is more effort put forth if your 4 cylinder is in your range-toppers than your entry/mid level vehicles. I think the reason why Mazda would need a 6 cyl for something upmarket of the current Mazda6 is that they DONT yet have the capability to add cachet with electric propulsion ala Volvo T8 and Polestar.   

In reply to Vigo :

I would argue that not every buyer would be so infatuated with electrics and hybrids, and a good many "traditional" buyers have nothing but contempt for them.

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

I mean, that's fine. Mazda will take their money for an i6 car and use it to develop things that benefit their long-term survival. 

The market more or less goes where its told. There is no mere regional 'difference in opinion' among buyers that explains why people buy 600cc tin cans in Japan, brand new air cooled beetles  and nissan tsurus in the 21st century in Mexico, tiny diesels in large Mercedes sedans in Europe, and 450hp Cadillac Escalades in the USA. These are all driven by policy decisions about regulations, taxes, etc. Policy is what will drive Mazda to invest in electric. 

Vigo said:

Buzzy, rough, so very much NOT an appropriate powerplant for an executive sedan.

Well, I haven't heard much complaining from the Volvo S90/XC90 crowd, and I strongly suspect there is more effort put forth if your 4 cylinder is in your range-toppers than your entry/mid level vehicles. I think the reason why Mazda would need a 6 cyl for something upmarket of the current Mazda6 is that they DONT yet have the capability to add cachet with electric propulsion ala Volvo T8 and Polestar.   

I rented a S90 last year with the base 4-banger and it was terrible, although not just because of the gutless, noisy powertrain.

In reply to Dave M :

Don't forget to post in this thread too. 

Keith Tanner said:

I6s also have more main bearings than a V6. Which is good for strength, but may be bad for friction. It's notable how many of the legendarily long-lived engines are I6s.

Not all of them.  A large number of Detroit's inline sixes had only four.

The Ford "small six" is interesting in that they went both ways, IIRC starting with four, then the 250 had seven  then it was reverted to four for economy reasons.  Also IIRC the four bearing cranks were fully counterweighted while the seven main cranks weren't.

 Okay, they can have more main bearings than a V6 can. I’m pretty sure there are some Land Rover I4s only have two.

I suspect that and the inherent balance of an I6 are the reason they seem to be a long-lived configuration. Still not one I expected to see in current development, though!

Kreb said:

Word has it Mazda purchased tooling for the Atlas I6. And as long as the noses are on their current line, they should be ok with I8s.....

Wait, you mean the jaguar motor?

I'm into it but seems like a failing strategy.  Maybe they'll put it in next CX9?   I'd rather them focus on making a great rotary range extender plug in hybrid.  Out next family car will be at least a hybrid of some sort, I'd love to give Mazda more of our money. 

The0retical said:

I'm more interested in the EV slide.

Mazda has been highly resistant to getting on the bandwagon. As a result I've heard next to nothing them doing any EV or PHEV R&D.

Originally it was becuase they simply lacked the capital and money to do so- if the battery technology they perused failed, they likely wouldn't be able to take the hit of losing their investment, so have gone with Skyactiv instead.

Until now, however.

-----

I'm tentatively interested in this Inline Skyactiv, if they really are building it. But like everyone else, is Mazda trying to go upmarket to make more money with Luxury cars? I think they could pull it off, but I'm not sure if it's gonna return their investment. I suppose the best thing to do is remain cautiously optimistic.

I didn't see a link to the whole presentation posted yet so, here:

https://www.mazda.com/globalassets/en/assets/investors/library/presentation/files/pre190509_e.pdf

Look at slide 54. The amount of SUVs sold has doubled since 2013. That's pretty staggering.

Also, a partership with Toyota? Maybe Mazda will get some of Toyota's hybrid tech?

My understanding is that they’ve been partnered w Toyota for a few years... the new Toyota 4 cylinder seems a lot like a Skyactiv engine too.

Re: the I6, the more I think about it, the more I’m shocked.

j_tso said:

The longitudinal layout has me intrigued because the MX-5 is their only car with one, but I don't think Mazda would share that transmission with a 6 cylinder nor make it RWD based if it's going to be shared with another platform.

That transmission would never survive behind an inline 6

Toyota has been selling Mazda2s for years now. 

That PDF makes it certain that Mazda is attempting to develop more expensive models, but other than the 6 cylinder things there are no clues about layout etc. 

I did learn that Mazda sells a 3-row CX5 called the CX8. News to me...

Toebra said:

j_tso said:

The longitudinal layout has me intrigued because the MX-5 is their only car with one, but I don't think Mazda would share that transmission with a 6 cylinder nor make it RWD based if it's going to be shared with another platform.

That transmission would never survive behind an inline 6

The current Miata trans would not be a good choice. but the NC Miata has a trans originally used in Mazda trucks and is currently found in the Fiat 124. 

I don't see this engine going on any car. It'll be in a crossover or full on SUV.