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The sole Mazda 2 Sedan on display at yesterday’s launch event was in fact a SkyActiv-D diesel-engined model, as the eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed.

Suffice to say, the oil burner is not available in Malaysia at this point in time – the vehicle is here for research purposes. According to Bermaz Motor ED Ben Yeoh, the company is pushing for higher-quality diesel in the market, which will go some way towards making possible the introduction of the advanced SkyActiv-D diesel engine here.

The 1.5 litre SkyActiv-D ‘clean diesel’ under the bonnet is a new engine, having debuted on the new Mazda 2. It’s set to be assembled at a new engine plant in Chonburi, Thailand from Q4 2015.

The Euro 6-compliant motor, aided by a variable-geometry turbo and direct injection, makes 105 PS at 4,000 rpm and 250 Nm of torque between 1,500 and 2,500 rpm.

Additionally, homogeneous lean burning and an extremely low 14.8:1 compression ratio are claimed to help it achieve low NOx emissions without resorting to expensive after-treatments.

The Mazda 2 SkyActiv-D is Thailand’s first diesel-powered Eco Car. The figures to beat are 23.3 km per litre and 100 grams of CO2 per km, and with a six-speed auto and auto start/stop, the vehicle manages 26.4 km per litre on the Japanese cycle. It was reported last month that the engine may make its Malaysian debut as early as 2016.

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