Mazda to cut catalyst precious metal use in Mazda3

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Mazda Motor Corp said on Thursday it would introduce technology that would slash the amount of precious metals used in emission-cleaning catalysts by 70 percent in the new Mazda3 model, due for sales globally this year.

Mazda said it would be the world's first application of the single-nanocatalyst technology, which will reduce precious metals use in the Mazda3 compact car to 0.2 g from 0.6 g. The technology will be rolled out globally on certain models.

Japan's Nissan Motor Co last year introduced nanotechnology that would halve the amount of precious metals used in the new Cube.

Using particles as small as a few billionths of a meter, nanotechnology prevents fine metal particles from clustering in catalysts, enabling engineers to use smaller amounts of precious metals to clean exhaust emissions.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Hugh Lawson)