Spied: 2013 Mazda 6 Hybrid

You’re looking at a prime example of the pressure on automakers to increase the fuel economy of their lineups. Mazda, which has built its modern reputation on the “Zoom Zoom” slogan, is working on another hybrid. And what’s more, the test mule you see here borrows technology from Toyota, thanks to a licensing agreement announced last year.

The gear lever in this 6 is on loan from the Prius, but Mazda has previously asserted that only the hybrid tech will be Toyota-sourced, not its tuning, or the vehicle’s internal-combustion engine, steering, or other chassis elements; we’ll find out how much zoominess the car retains when it launches in late 2012 or 2013. In addition to the funny shifter, there’s also an EV button, telling us that this vehicle will at least offer some electric-only operation. (In the current Toyota Highlander hybrid, for example, the EV mode provides only a token amount of silent cruising.)

We expect that Mazda will hybridize one of its current vehicles—like, oh, the 6—and not develop a unique-looking model, since doing so would add hundreds of millions of dollars in costs. Even so, it will be more Mazda throughout than the late Tribute hybrid, which was a rebadge of the Ford Escape hybrid. Expect Mazda’s next hybrid to pack more punch than a Prius (which has a combined system output of 134 hp), and use the company’s efficient Skyactiv gasoline four-cylinder as the ICE part of the powertrain. That engine is set to deliver 163 hp and up to 40 mpg highway all by its lonesome in the 2012 Mazda 3. (The four-cylinder Skyactiv diesel is a possibility for hybridization, but would introduce even more cost.)

Mazda’s decision to get more involved in the hybrid market is hardly shocking, and licensing proven tech from Toyota is the fiscally responsible way for a small company to do it. But we can’t say we’re jubilant about the news, as hybrids are rarely exciting to drive. It also leaves the future of Mazda’s diesel powertrains in the U.S. a bit uncertain; the company says it will still deliver at least one model with a four-cylinder diesel in the States in 2012, but we hope hybridization won’t curtail an expanded diesel rollout.

Thanks to: Car and Driver