Mazda 2009 Annual Report Download - page 45

Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures for the year increased ¥6.3 billion, to ¥81.8 billion, on investments in equipment for new
models and the lump-sum recognition of approximately ¥30 billion in tooling expenses at overseas subsidiaries.
Depreciation and amortization expenses rose ¥8.7 billion, to ¥75.2 billion, reflecting increases in capital
spending over recent years.
In terms of production capacity, progress was made in building a flexible production system to increase
productivity. A flexible production system will make it possible to quickly develop models for various markets and
enhance Mazda’s cost competitiveness by shortening production lead times. This will also make it possible to
significantly reduce lead times in new model development, thereby making capital expenditures more efficient.
Along with the steady implementation of these measures at domestic plants, they will be simultaneously rolled
out at overseas plants as well.
Research and Development
As part of the emergency measures to curtail expenditures, investment in research and development was
decreased ¥18.4 billion, to ¥96.0 billion. Nevertheless, we pursued efficient development and increased
investment in next-generation products and environmental technologies and other forward-looking technology
development programs. As a measure toward reducing future CO2 emissions, a plan was announced in June
2008 to raise the average fuel economy of all Mazda cars sold globally by 30% by 2015.
One step toward attaining this target was the development in September 2008 of a new clean diesel engine that
has high performance in terms of both power and environmental considerations, and this is being progressively
rolled out in Europe. In addition, the new Mazda3 is equipped with the “i-stop” idling stop system, which
significantly raises fuel economy. We were also the world’s first automaker to successfully make use of single-
nanocatalyst technology, which effectively purifies exhaust gases and is very durable, while significantly reducing
the amount of precious metals used in the catalytic converter. This is also incorporated in the new Mazda3.
Following the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicle that began running on Norway’s public roads in October
2008, in March 2009 we commenced commercial leasing of the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid, the
world’s first vehicle with a hybrid hydrogen rotary engine.
In terms of safety technology, in Europe the Mazda6 received a five-star rating under the Euro NCAP evalu-
ation standards for new cars in February 2009, officially placing the Mazda6 among the safest cars in the world.
Also in February, Mazda provided Mazda MPV and Mazda6 cars with a cutting-edge system to support safe
driving, developed by Mazda, for Japan’s ITS-Safety 2010 joint verification testing of a safe-driving support
system that uses an Intelligent Transport System (ITS).
67.9 72.1
79.6 75.5
40.0
45.8 47.0
66.5
81.8
75.2
Capital expenditures (Billions of yen)
Depreciation and amortization (Billions of yen)
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107.6
114.4
96.0
95.7
Research and development costs (Billions of yen)
Share of net sales (%)
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Review of OperationsMessages from Management Mazda’s Environmental and
Safety Technology
Corporate Information Financial Section