Mazda i-stop wins Eco-Products award

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has awarded the 2009 Eco-Products Award to the Mazda Axela (Mazda3) and Mazda Biante models equipped with Mazda’s i-stop idling stop system. Mazda’s i-stop system can improve fuel economy by around 10% by automatically shutting down the engine when the driver stops the vehicle. The system is fitted to direct injection engines and uses combustion energy to re-start the engine in just 0.35 seconds, about half the time needed in most rival systems. The i-stop system also suppresses noise and vibration as the engine shuts down and restarts. (November 24, 2009)