Mazda Begins Commercial Leasing of World's First Hybrid Rotary Hydrogen Vehicle

HIROSHIMA, JAPAN – March 26, 2009: Mazda Motor Corporation today commenced commercial leasing of the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid, a hydrogen hybrid vehicle that offers substantially improved performance thanks to the addition of a hybrid system.

Mazda is the world’s first automobile manufacturer to begin commercial leasing of a hydrogen hybrid vehicle; the first units will be delivered to local government authorities and energy-related companies during 2009.

The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is Mazda’s second hydrogen rotary engine model to be commercialised; the first was Mazda’s unique RX-8 Hydrogen RE. The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid’s finalised specifications were approved by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) on March 5, 2009. The first vehicles received their registration numbers from the Hiroshima branch of the Chugoku District Transport Bureau on March 25.

The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid features a series-type hybrid drivetrain, which combines Mazda’s hydrogen rotary engine with an electric motor. The engine output is converted to electricity, which then powers the motor that drives the wheels. This hybrid system boosts the hydrogen fuel range of the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid to 200 kilometres, twice the range of the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, and increases the maximum output by approximately 40 percent, to 110 kilowatts. Mazda’s latest eco-car features many other forward-looking environmental technologies, including Mazda’s proprietary dual-fuel system, which enables the car to run on gasoline if hydrogen is unavailable, and interior parts made from Mazda’s plant-derived Biotechmaterials.

Based on the Sustainable Zoom-Zoom plan, Mazda is committed to pursuing harmony between driving pleasure and environmental and safety features, and the quest for an advanced Zoom-Zoom world.

Mazda aims to offer vehicles that “look inviting to drive, are fun to drive, and make you want to drive them again.”