Mazda 3 Skyactiv-CNG Concept - out of the blue

© MazdaThe 75 l (gross capacity) CNG tank takes up some cargo area, but its contents are bound to cut fuel bills and emissions considerably

The next edition of the Tokyo Motor Show isn't far away, so no wonder carmakers have already started making their announcements. It kind of spoils the fun of visiting any car vanity fair these days, for there are hardly any models on display you hadn't read all about beforehand, but that's how it is and getting used to it is probably the best thing we can do. But coming back to the subject matter, Mazda's going to showcase some new powertrain variants of its latest generation of the 3 compact, among them a CNG-powered concept. Which, incidentally, isn't disguised at all – in fact it's a forerunner for a production model.

In technological terms, the methane-powered version is motivated by a slightly modified 2-litre Skyactiv-G petrol engine. Since all Skyactiv units use higher, almost diesel-like compression ratios to boost performance and fuel economy as well as lower emissions, they are easily transformed to run on CNG. And since the concept was wasy to conceive, it will probably be equally easy to put into production. We should expect the car to be greenlighted soon, maybe even at the moment of its in-the-flesh presentation on Tokyo Motor Show's floor in late November. We're looking forward to it.