Mazda 2007 Annual Report Download - page 33
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Please find page 33 of the 2007 Mazda annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.27
Safety Technologies
Mazda is developing its next-generation platforms which will
support “Zoom-Zoom” safety features. Our human-machine
interface (HMI) aids drivers in accurately identifying and making
decisions while driving, a feature that we think is only going to
increase in importance. One example of this interface is the
development of a universal driver’s cockpit, designed to allow
drivers of all sizes to maintain an adequate field of vision. Plans
also call for including technologies to
avoid road hazards. Mazda will carry
out practical road trials of ITS*1in the
Hiroshima region as part of a government
infrastructure initiative aimed at making
driving conditions safer.
Materials and Manufacturing Technologies
As part of a partnership between the public and private sectors
on the one side and academia on the other, Mazda has developed
a first-of-its-kind bioplastic that can be used in automobile interiors.
Made from biomass, the material is carbon neutral*2, and will be
used in the Mazda5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid that the Company
plans to launch in fiscal 2008.
Mazda’s painting facilities have all fully switched over to the
Three Layer Wet Paint System, which combines the primer, top
and clear coats into a single painting process, achieving volatile
organic compound (VOC) reductions, as well as the greatest
CO2reductions in the industry. Going forward, Mazda plans to
use this proprietary low-energy liquid coating technology to
reduce VOCs further, resulting in a cleaner painting process.
*2This means that CO2
emissions are balanced
by CO2absorbed from
the atmosphere by
photosynthesis,
resulting in a net
increase in atmospheric
CO2of zero.
*1Short for “Intelligent
Transport Systems,”
a new concept in
traffic control. The
objective is to solve
such problems as
accidents, congestion
and environmental
damage by using
cutting-edge IT to link
drivers, vehicles and
roadways via networks.