Mazda's Hybrid | Green Energy News

November 23, 2003 – Vol.8 No.35

MAZDA’S HYBRID.

Mazda has launched its first hybrid electric vehicle - the Demio e-4WD. But the company has not yet announced plans to sell the car outside of Japan.

The compact Demio e-4WD is a front wheel drive car with an electric drive system for the rear wheels that can be activated by the driver as the need arises - slippery roads for instance. The electric drive motor is energized by the separate generator driven by the car’s internal combustion engine. The car does not appear to have a battery pack to store energy.

The car was developed to compete as a more energy-efficient alternative to conventional four-wheel drive cars in its size class. It is not meant to compete with other fuel-efficient hybrids like the Prius or Civic Hybrid.

The conventional, non-e-4WD Demio is available in many markets, but not the U.S. Visit Mazda corporate at http://www.mazda.com/ click the Japan home page or the original press release at JCN Newswire http://www.japancorp.net/ .