Mazda is looking to license their SkyActiv Technology to raise capital (CX-5 with SkyActiv pictured)
Mazda isn’t having the best of times at the moment, despite an impressive range of cars that are getting more interesting with Mazda’s SkyActiv technology, and are predicting that they will post a loss of around £750 million for the current financial year.
There are a variety of reasons for Mazda’s financial predicament – including the strength of the Yen and the production problems after the Japanese Tsunami – but this is the fourth year in a row Mazda has posted losses.
As a result, Mazda are taking a pragmatic approach to their financial problems and are looking to leverage their assets to yield revenue, and the favoured route seems to be licensing their new SkyActiv technology to other car makers.
Mazda boss Takashi Yamanouchi has said that Mazda are looking at every option to raise funds, and that they are prepared to sell their Sky technology to other car makers to put Mazda back in the black.
Mazda sold $1.2 billion of shares back in 2009 and appears to have invested much of the proceeds of that sale in developing its SkyActiv Technology. Licensing that technology would help off-set that investment and hopefully put Mazda back on track, but it seems unlikely any car maker would want to go further than a licensing deal.
Mazda is still closely tied to Ford, despite Ford’s stake in Mazda now being under 4 per cent, and it’s Japanese production base – Mazda manufactures a bigger percentage of its cars in Japan than any other care maker – makes it too vulnerable to the Yen’s strength.
But at least the SkyActiv Technology looks good enough to tempt other car makers in to a deal.
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