Toyota, Mazda and Subaru team up to save combustion engines

Combustion engines ain’t dead yet, baby!

At least that’s the hope of Toyota, Mazda and Subaru who have today announced a partnership to develop new engines that will help decarbonise combustion-powered cars.

The alliance aims to tailor the all-new engines to integrate with motors, batteries and other electric drive units and also to be compatible with various carbon-neutral fuels like biofuels, hydrogen and e-fuel.

The trio of brands also claims the new engines, which will be highly efficient and powerful, will ‘revolutionise’ vehicle packaging by being significantly smaller than existing powertrains.

“Smaller engines will allow for even lower hoods, improving design possibilities and aerodynamic performance while contributing to better fuel efficiency,” said the brands in a joint statement.

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The alliance says their goals are driven by a “deep understanding of their customers’ diverse lifestyles”, alluding to the fact that the broader push towards electric-only powertrains mightn’t be the best solution for everyone.

The news aligns with recent comments from the head of Toyota’s GR performance arm, Tomoya Takahashi, who told Wheels: “[GR] is a passionate brand, so we want to use internal combustion engine as much as possible.”

“It is not the engine that is bad, it’s the carbon that’s bad,” he said. “By using hybrid technology we can reduce carbon emissions or using a carbon-neutral fuel – e-fuel or biofuel.

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“Globally there are discussions there is not going to be 100 per cent EVs. As you know, our direction is multi-pathway. At this moment Toyota is making profit and we are investing in future technologies.”

As part of the alliance, Toyota, Mazda and Subaru hope to encourage a wider adoption of carbon neutral fuels like synthetic fuel, biofuels and liquid hydrogen.

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“Achieving a carbon-neutral society is a challenge that must be undertaken by all of Japan's industries and society as a whole. As we continue to refine electrification technology, we will also enhance our horizontally-opposed engines with an aim to use carbon-neutral fuels in the future. Moving forward, the three companies sharing the same aspiration will continue to advance the pursuit of sustainable excellence in Japanese car manufacturing,” said Atsushi Osaki, Representative Director, President and CEO, Subaru Corporation.

Toyota president and CEO Koji Sato added “The three companies, which share the same aspirations, will refine engine technologies through friendly competition.”

Meanwhile Mazda’s president and CEO, Masahiro Moro, used the announcement to double down on the brand’s commitment to rotary engines.

“Given the rotary engine's compatibility with electrification and carbon-neutral fuels, Mazda will continue to develop the technology through co-creation and competition to ensure it can contribute broadly to society,” he said.