The Mazda company is banking on a new set of energy efficient engines and transmissions to help them compete with other fuel-saving options that are inundating the American auto market. Lately, Mazda’s SKYACTIV engine line is getting a lot of attention as Mazda prepares to let Americans get a taste of this new technology: industry reports indicate that a SKYACTIV engine will be in the 2012 Mazda 3 next year, and that future model years will probably run on these unique blocks.

Rather than offering a hybrid or all-electric design like many competitors are doing, Mazda is gearing up to present an engine that uses a variety of design methods to reach the 40 mpg mark set by the U.S. CAFE benchmarks for energy efficient vehicles. The SKYACTIV system combines direct injection and energy efficient transmission design to raise mpg; other strategies including building lighter auto body frames, which Mazda is likely to do. Although some of this design might bother drivers who complain about being micro-managed on the road, the weight reduction effort is a win-win.

“We are trying to live up to our Zoom-Zoom philosophy.” says a senior Mazda engineer in Japanese, in a company PR clip for the new engine system. Staffers add that by reducing the weight of the vehicle, designers are trying for a 15% increase in fuel efficiency, with the same improvement in power and torque.

Mazda technicians are also trying for a higher compression ratio without the knocking that can waste fuel. Elements of this strategy include piston cavities, multi-hole injectors and a re-tooled exhaust system. Mazda calls the principle of design Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition or HCCI, which basically translates to working on the “waste not, want not” principle, and while many drivers who want ideal fuel efficiency might gravitate toward affordable hybrids, where the electric engine subs in for the gasoline block, Mazda has something that might be attractive to many buyers who aren’t ready for the more radical technologies.

Look for the new SKYACTIV system in the 2012 Mazda 3 and successive versions of other Mazda cars as auto makers compete to offer lighter, leaner rides to the American public.