Poor fuel quality to blame for Mazda not offering new 3 with SkyActiv-X engine

Introduced on new 3 with its details being revealed last month, the Hiroshima-based automaker’s South African Managing Director, Craig Roberts, responding to the question from The Citizen, stated that South Africa’s poor fuel quality has the played the biggest part in the decision not to offer the engine on the 3.

“We would have loved to have brought SkyActiv-X to South Africa as soon as possible, however, until we see quite a dramatic improvement in our fuel quality, when we start getting to levels of quality aligned to Euro 4 (emission regulations), we are not going to be able to introduce SkyActiv-X into the South African market,” Roberts said at the local media launch this past Wednesday (18 July).

In addition to the SkyActiv-X, it is also unlikely that the all-new 1.8 SkyActiv-D turbodiesel engine will be offered in South Africa, where the local line-up consists of the new 1.5 SkyActiv-G petrol that produces 88kW/153Nm and the bigger 2.0-litre petrol, minus the 48-volt M Hybrid system, that makes 121kW/213Nm.

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