One of the most eagerly-anticipated launches of 2012 will be that of Mazda’s all-new CX-5 compact crossover. After all, it’s rare to drive a car which is completely new from the ground up – even the nuts, bolts and washers have been examined and reworked where necessary to make them lighter and stronger.

Mazda Motor Corporation’s newly-developed SKYACTIV-G 1.3 petrol engine has won the 2012 ‘Technology of the Year’ award presented annually by the highly respected Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists Conference of Japan (RJC) and its chairman, Hiroshi Fukunaga.

Breakthrough technology that will deliver major fuel savings and emission reductions for fleets with no compromise in driving dynamics is to be introduced by Mazda Motor Europe from beginning of next year.

The Mazda CX-5, which will be seen in production form for the first time at the Frankfurt motor show, will be the first Mazda built using Mazda’s SKYACTIV technology, but what does SKYACTIV really offer the consumer?