OREANDA-NEWS. Mazda Motor Corporation announced that it is enhancing production capacity for SKYACTIV-G gasoline engines and SKYACTIV-D diesel engines at its Hiroshima Plant. Capacity, currently 800,000 units annually, will be increased to one million units by the end of 2014. The move is made in response to increasing sales of SKYACTIV vehicles around the globe.

In line with the initiative, a highly versatile new engine machining line will be installed in the existing engine plant. In addition, an assembly line which until now has been used exclusively to produce inline four-cylinder engines (MZR1.8L-2.5L) will be revamped to allow mixed production with SKYACTIV engines.

"SKYACTIV technology has gained an excellent reputation since the first SKYACTIV-G engine was loaded into a Mazda Demio for the Japanese market back in June 2011. Sales of SKYACTIV vehicles are increasing in markets around the globe and the decision to increase production capacity was made to further strengthen our supply system. Mazda wants people around the world to experience for themselves the combination of driving pleasure, fuel efficiency and safety performance that SKYACTIV offers, and we'll continue to do everything we can to deliver SKYACTIV vehicles to as many customers as possible, as quickly as possible," said Kiyotaka Shobuda, Mazda's Managing Executive Officer in charge of Global Production and Global Business Logistics and General Manager of Production Engineering Div.

Mazda is strengthening its production system in line with its aim to increase global sales to 1.7 million units by fiscal year ending March 2016. Eighty percent of those vehicles are expected to feature SKYACTIV technology. SKYACTIV engines are currently manufactured at the Hiroshima Plant and at Changan Ford Mazda Engine Co., Ltd., where production began in June of 2013. In addition, the engines will be produced in Mexico at Mazda Motor Manufacturing de Mexico S.A. de C.V. starting in the fourth quarter of fiscal year ending March 2014.