April 19: Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that five Mazda researchers (Mitsuo Hitomi, Takashi Yoso, Kiyotaka Sato, Kunitomo Minamitani and Yasushi Nakahara from the Powertrain Technology division) are to receive the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) Medal for New Technology for 2011. The award is for the development of a 1.3-litre petrol engine with a super-high compression ratio and achieving fuel efficiency of 30km per litre (as per Japan's 10-15 mode test cycle).

Achieving a high compression ratio in conventional petrol engines has been difficult due to the phenomenon of abnormal combustion, widely known as ‘knocking’. The SKYACTIV-G 1.3, however, achieves a compression ratio of 14.0:1, the highest in the world for a mass-produced petrol automobile engine. The award is in recognition of Mazda's discovery that a low-temperature oxidation reaction (in which bonds within molecules of fuel break and produce energy) occurs before ignition at high compression ratios. This leads to a reduction in knocking and increase in output. The reward also praises Mazda's innovative use of this discovery in the development of its vehicles.

Further, the fact that the face-lifted Mazda Demio (known overseas as Mazda2), equipped with the SKYACTIV-G petrol engine, achieves a fuel efficiency rating of 30km/L without reliance on a hybrid system. This outstanding achievement is thanks to a thorough reduction of mechanical friction, improvements to Mazda's unique idling stop system ‘i-stop’, and precisely controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Every year, the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers awards JSME Medals for the best research papers in each field and for developing new technologies or machines. The awards are presented in an effort to encourage research activities and the development of mechanical engineering.