Mazda's i-Stop Is A Show Stopper

Idling stop technology has been around for sometime albeit in more expensive cars. Now it's finding its way into more afordable transport thanks to friends of the earth and people obsessed with lowering emissions.

Mazda introduced their all new Mazda 3 with i-stop technology this year, as part of its future green technology strategy, and now its won an award.

The 2009 Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference of Japan (RJC) presented Mazda with the Technology of the Year award for developing a system which restarts in just 0.35 seconds, that's twice as fast as other competing systems.

The new Mazda 3 with i-stop offers approximately 15 percent improved fuel economy compared to the previous model when tested under Japan’s 10-15 mode test cycle. Mazda 3 models with i-stop also qualify for Japan's eco-car incentive program as well as tax reductions of 75 percent under the government’s eco-car tax reduction program. Almost half of the total Mazda3 sales volume in Japan to date has been i-stop models.

The Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference of Japan, a non-profit organization (NPO), was established in 1990. It aims to contribute to the development of the automotive industry through various activities, including the recognition of outstanding vehicles and technologies by the Car of the Year selection committee.

Automotive technologies eligible for the 2009 RJC Technology of the Year competition must be introduced to the market in vehicles sold between November 1, 2008, and October 31, 2009. This is the third time that Mazda has won the RJC Technology of the Year award. Previously, Mazda won for its Miller-cycle engine (used in the Eunos 800) in 1993 and for the RENESIS Rotary engine (for the RX-8) in 2003.