...But Not At Mazda

Motor, Jun 2004 by Nash, Tom

Mazda has decided not to build a hybrid engine edition of its Tribute SUV, a sister of the Ford Escape, which will come out in a gasoline-electric hybrid version later this summer.

Mazda North America senior marketing vice-president Robert T. Davis said, "The 700 Mazda dealers in the U.S. lack facilities to service hybrid cars, meaning an expensive investment would be needed to make the transition. We can tap into the hybrid market at any time if demand jumps off the map and we need to get in," he said, "but we'd rather hold off until the technology mates better on hybrids with our 'zoom-zoom' [high-performance] brand image." Davis also said Mazda is developing a rotary hydrogen engine in Japan and is pursuing that venture aggressively.