Mazda to release up to eight EVs by 2030 with Toyota’s help

Mazda has announced it will join forces with Toyota to introduce between seven and eight battery-electric vehicles by 2030, which will eventually account for between 25 and 40 per cent of its global sales.

While that sounds ambitious, some analysts predict the majority of all new vehicles sold globally will be all-electric by the end of this decade, and several car-makers have committed to being EV-only by 2030, including Fiat, Genesis, Jaguar, MINI, Maserati and Volvo.

In response to criticism that Mazda has been too slow to act on EVs, the Japanese car-maker’s chief executive Masahiro Moro said the company’s deliberate strategy to be an “intentional follower” has been wise, following the recent wobble in demand for EVs worldwide.

“One of the big issues for us is demand is uncertain,” Moro told Automotive News.

“In the current market, the reality for electrification – in particular for battery EVs – is the pace is not that high. So we may start a little slower in terms of the ramp-up. Not necessarily in terms of timing, but the ramp-up.

“That is why I call us an intentional follower on EVs. We just have to deal with the consumer’s needs and wants. Right now, the customer is looking for alternative solutions – other than battery EVs.”

Despite his pessimism, Mazda’s chief says his company has already created a new division to help develop its future EVs, dubbed e-Mazda, and its first new-generation electric vehicles following the slow-selling MX-30 will land in 2025.

No details about those EVs were revealed by Moro, but he did tell AN that their electronics and software systems would be co-developed with Toyota, allowing it to save up to 80 per cent in development costs.

Mazda also has a joint-venture with both Toyota and Panasonic.

“There are many things an individual company can’t do alone,” Moro told Automotive News.

“In the past, we might have said this is a competitive area. But now, it is a collaborative area,” he added, acknowledging the fierce rivalry with Toyota.

While Toyota is rolling out its first dedicated global EV now (the bZ4X mid-size SUV), Mazda is yet to produce an electric-only model.

And in some markets like Australia and the US, the car-maker’s only EV – the Mazda MX-30 Electric (pictured) – will soon be quietly withdrawn from sale after just three years on sale.

However, Mazda is rolling out a new range of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric models between now and 2025, starting with the CX-60 and CX-90 PHEVs, and previously said that by 2030 its entire model range will be electrified – and more than 25 per cent of it battery-electric.

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