Mazda MX-30 electric SUV still unconfirmed for Oz

The coronavirus pandemic has brought a lot of initiatives to a crashing halt, the latest being the decision to bring the all-electric Mazda MX-30 SUV to Australia.

In packaging terms, Mazda’s first EV is an obvious rival to the Hyundai Kona Electric, but the MX-30 is anticipated to offer only half the motoring range of the Kona, which is perhaps one reason why Mazda Australia is uncertain about bringing the electric SUV here. Another likely reason is the landed cost of the MX-30 in Australia.

Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak said the decision either to proceed with introduction of the MX-30 or leave it out of the local product portfolio was to have taken place by now.

"We were originally going to make a decision by mid-year; we've just pushed that out just because we've been busy focusing on all the things over the last few months... in the pandemic, but we'll get back on that and make a decision at some point soon,” Doak explained to carsales during the launch of the new Mazda3 X20 Astina this week.

"I don't want to pin it down, but you would think by the end of this year we'll have to make a decision one way or the other...”

Having at least one electric vehicle in the product range would at least be baby steps along the path of reducing the brand’s average corporate fleet CO2 emissions in the lead-up to the voluntary cap of 100g/km by 2030 for cars and SUVs.

The FCAI’s initiative has been quite recent, however, and would not have been a factor on the ‘pro’ side of the debate to bring the MX-30 to Australia. Furthermore, we as a nation have shown relatively little interest before now in either electric vehicles or renewable energy generation.

Those circumstances don’t necessarily add up to an irrefutable business case for introducing the MX-30 here.

The mood appears to be changing, however, with an upswing in sales of EVs last year, plus a rapidly growing trend towards renewable power generation in Australia.

"We always said we would get into EVs, where they were appropriate,” says Doak.

“So we're focusing EV on the European market with MX-30, and because a lot of those markets use renewable electricity... of course your CO2 footprint, from well to wheel... particularly with hydro, Scandinavian countries – the CO2 emissions of those are, from memory, under 50 grams per kilometre, which is really impressive.

"In other markets where the power generation is done in less environmentally friendly ways – like Australia, in many cases – it doesn't make sense. You're producing more CO2 if you fill up an EV from coal-fired power stations in the Latrobe Valley, for example, than you are by buying even the standard SKYACTIV engine, let alone SKYACTIV-X.

"So it's very much horses for courses, and we really wanted to make sure we're offering as much choice as possible. And for Mazda, sustainable ‘zoom-zoom’ is really about having the best technology solution in the appropriate market. That's what we're doing, and we're following through with that promise.”

Given all that, perhaps the rotary range-extender version of the Mazda MX-30, which should be revealed by mid-2021, will be a better fit for Australia.

Mazda MX-30 officially revealed