Mazda has recently announced that it will be putting its first all-electric car, the Mazda MX-30, into production in preparation for its Fall 2020 European debut.
The Mazda MX-30 represents a very interesting strategy when it comes to electric cars. It was not a secret that Mazda was not the most thrilled to create electric cars, putting it off for as long as they could before emissions standards would hurt them. However, even after creating their first electric car, it seems like they are still not completely on board the electrification train and are releasing an electric car with one of the lowest ranges at the time of release.
The MX-30 sports a relatively small 35.5 kWh battery and has a WLTP rated range of 200 km (124 miles). Whether it is because Mazda is trying to save money on batteries or doing some sort of weird spite move towards producing an electric car is uncertain. I would hope that it is former rather than the latter, however Mazda seems to be trying to make its first electric car as un-electric as possible.
In fact, Mazda likes to push the similarities that the MX-30 has with gasoline cars, making it a point to mention that it handled the closest to ICE cars of any electric car, they wrote during the initial announcement:
“Many of the media who have driven our test vehicle have said it is one of the few electric cars they have driven with the positive characteristics of a regular car. Delivering driving pleasure is at the heart of every Mazda we design and that will be no different in our electric car.”
Perhaps I am reading too much into this. Mazda is after all one of the few independent automakers left, so creating a new car, let alone a whole different powertrain category, is much more stressful than for a huge group like Toyota or Volkswagen.
One thing I will give the MX-30 is the design. I am personally a huge fan of the pillarless look and the MX-30 delivered with doors similar to Mazda’s own RX-8. The entire clean and minimalist design of the MX-30 is pleasant to the eye.
No word has been given on if we will see the MX-30 in North America, but given Mazda’s relatively low production and presumably less than usual production for the MX-30 (as compared to say the CX-30 or Mazda 3), I remain extremely doubtful of its arrival here especially with the low range.
It will be interesting to see what Mazda’s second and third electric cars will be like, as that will give us a much better understanding of their strategy and overall attitude towards creating electric cars.
What do you guys think of the MX-30 and Mazda’s electric future? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
