Mazda reveals (EV) strategy up to 2030

Mazda has revealed its new technology and product strategy up to the year 2030. Between 2022 and 2025, the Japanese automaker plans three purely electric models, five plug-in hybrids, and five hybrid models with Toyota technology, based on the ‘Skyactiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture.

Last year, Mazda introduced its first electric car, the MX-30. In 2025, Mazda plans to introduce a pure electric car platform called ‘Skyactiv EV Scalable Architecture’.

It’s suitable for diverse vehicle sizes and body types, according to Mazda’s ‘Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030’ roadmap. By 2030, all Mazda models are expected to “feature some degree of electrification”.

25% of total sales

Mazda expects all-electric cars to account for 25% of total sales by 2030. That’s less than many other carmakers, but still significantly more than Mazda’s 2018 forecast when the Japanese manufacturer still expected a hybrid share of 95% by 2030.

Before the all-electric car platform is ready to be used in the middle of the decade, Mazda plans to push electrification on the existing, flexible ‘Skyactiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture’. According to the Japanese company, this is used in transversely installed power units in their small products and longitudinally installed power units in their larger products.

Based on this architecture, Mazda says it plans to offer different electrification solutions to meet different customer needs, environmental regulations, and power generation infrastructure in each market.

Based on this platform, three purely electric models, five plug-in hybrids, and five hybrid models have been announced between 2022 and 2025, which are to go on sale primarily in Japan, Europe, the USA, China, and South-East Asian countries (ASEAN).

CO2 neutral by 2050

As a small, independent carmaker, Mazda is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050. In addition to electrifying its model line-up, the carmaker also announced plans to integrate autonomous driving technologies into its vehicles in the future.

The first stage of the autonomous driving system – christened Mazda Co-Pilot 1.0 – is introduced in the first Mazda vehicles from 2022. Also, part of the strategy now presented is developing software technologies for Mobility as a Service (MaaS) applications.

The relatively small Japanese manufacturer is practically forced to collaborate with some of its domestic competitors, namely Suzuki, Subaru, Daihatsu, and even Toyota. The common goal is to create standard technical specifications for the next generation of in-vehicle communication devices.

Burn hydrogen

To secure its future, Mazda is seriously following the same path as its big Japanese brother, Toyota. However, they surely don’t want to lay all the eggs in one basket compared with other competitors. With their Sky-Activ technology and the collaboration with Toyota, they try to be ready for all technical/environmental challenges worldwide with different technical solutions.

And don’t forget, they still haven’t abandoned the rotary engine completely. Technologically, it’s an ideal engine to burn hydrogen. Mazda already hinted at a ‘range extender’ version of its MX-30 where the electric motor gets power from a small and compact rotary engine, using hydrogen as a fuel.