TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Mazda MX-30 officially revealed

The all-new Mazda MX-30 has been revealed at today’s Tokyo motor show opening and the small battery-powered SUV, which revives the RX-8 coupe’s Freestyle rear ‘suicide’ door concept, could eventually be sold in Australia.

Beyond that, there’s very little we didn’t already know about Mazda’s first EV, which was unceremoniously leaked yesterday and officially teased in the lead-up to today’s world debut.

As we reported earlier this month, the uniquely styled zero-emission crossover features a notchback rear-end design, door trims made with fibres from recycled plastic bottles and a centre console tray made from cork, which recalls Mazda’s origins as a cork-maker and the company says will be harvested from the bark of trees without felling.

Other new technology announced today is Mazda’s first climate-control touch-screen -- a 7.0-inch display to manipulate the MX-30’s heating, ventilation and air-condition system.

The pillarless door design, meantime, provides a sleek coupe-like bodyside design and Mazda says the front doors are capable of opening to 82 degrees and the rear doors can open at up to 80 degrees, improving entry and exit to the vehicle.

Few other technical details were revealed for the Mazda MX-30, which is squarely aimed at Europe, where pre-orders open today ahead of first deliveries there next year.

However, we’ve already driven the ground-breaking EV in prototype form, wrapped in the body of the all-new Mazda CX-30, which will slot between the CX-3 and CX-5 when it arrives in Australia in January.

The Mazda EV prototype was powered by a single electric motor that delivered modest outputs of 105kW and 265Nm and was fed by a relatively small 35.5kWh lithium-ion battery.

The latter was capable of charging at up to 6.6kW using an onboard AC charger, via which a full charge took 4.5 hours, or via a 50kW DC fast-charger in 40 minutes.

No performance figures were announced but the CX-30 EV was likely to offer a driving range of around just 200km between recharges, along with 0-100km/h acceleration in about nine seconds and a top speed of around 170km/h.

However, Mazda has confirmed the MX-30 will also be offered with a range-extender powertrain with a small rotary engine acting as a power generator, marking the return of the Wankel rotary engine to production for the first time since the RX-8 was axed in 2012.

On the eve of its centenary in 2020, Mazda expects pure-electric models to account for just five per cent of its global sales by 2030, but says every model it produces by then will incorporate some sort of electric assistance – whether it’s mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid or range-extender.

“In terms of electrification, by 2030, every car we make will feature our e-SKYACTIV electric-drive technology as we work to reduce CO2 emissions on a life-cycle assessment basis,” said Mazda Motor Corporation president and CEO, Akira Marumoto.

“We will push forward with our strategy of offering multiple solutions in light of each country or region’s energy situation, power generation mix and the diversification of customer preferences.

“The electric vehicle we are unveiling today is one such multi-solution. A brand new option for customers, it is Mazda’s first mass-produced EV. The MX-30 offers customers a creative time and space.

“While this model is an EV, Mazda’s human-centric development philosophy remains unchanged. It provides the same smooth and natural Jinba-ittai driving feel as our combustion engine-powered cars.”

No dimensions were provided for the MX-30, but given its ‘30’ name and the fact its powertrain was tested in the CX-30, expect it to be similar in size to the upcoming small SUV.

Inside, along with the environmentally friendly surface materials including seat fabric and new 7.0-inch climate control touch-screen located under the air-vents, which is likely to feature in other new Mazda models, the MX-30 features a floating centre console and rotary dial for Mazda's latest MZD Connect infotainment system.

There’s storage behind the console with 2.5A USB connectivity and an AC outlet supplying up to 150W, and enough cargo space to store four carry-on cabin bags, says Mazda.

New safety tech includes the addition of Turn-Across Traffic detection in Mazda’s Smart Brake Support autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, which employs millimetre wave radar and a forward-facing camera to detect oncoming traffic and brake if the driver turns across oncoming traffic.

Road Keep Assist, meantime, uses a forward-facing camera to detect road edges without lane markings and keep the vehicle on the road, while Blind Spot Assist functionality is also claimed to be improved via the addition of a 24Ghz milliwave sensor.

In chassis terms, the MX nomenclature and Mazda’s focus on 'jinba-ittai' (which means 'person and horse as one’ in Japanese) suggests the MX-30’s dynamics will be as sporting as its looks.

Indeed, apart from sounding less like a conventional EV, the electric CX-30 we drove in Norway in September delivered decidedly crisp handling and the ability to drive it like a traditional vehicle (not just with one pedal).

Mazda has confirmed the MX-30 will get a development of its G-Vectoring Control system that momentarily cuts engine torque while steering to improve stability. Called e-GVC Plus, in this case it’s claimed to leverage the electric motor’s power delivery to optimise front/rear load transfer and improve the transition between throttle and brake inputs, which can be inconsistent is some EVs when energy regeneration commences.

Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak told carsales the Mazda MX-30 was likely to be made available at some stage Down Under, where the Japanese brand’s first electrified models will arrive next year in the form of Mazda3 and CX-30 models fitted with SKYACTIV-X powertrains incorporating 24-volt mild-hybrid technology.

But he wouldn’t be drawn on exactly when the Mazda MX-30 would be released here or in what numbers, nor whether Mazda Australia may import only the more practical rotary range-extender version.

“Those decisions are down the track,” said Doak. “Our first electrification step is CX-30 and Mazda3.

“At this point we’re working to bring MX-30 to Australia. It’s on our wishlist. We’d like to make it happen if we can. We can’t see any reason why it won’t happen at some point.”

Apart from their relatively high cost (MX-30 pricing is yet to be announced), Doak identified the comparative lack of EV charging infrastructure, rather than the lack of government incentives for EVs, as the primary hurdle for Mazda’s first EV in Australia.

“Infrastructure is the big thing for us. We haven’t asked for incentives and we don’t plan to. The car is city-focused and Europe is the main market, where they have the infrastructure.

“We want to be part of the conversation and we’d encourage governments at all levels to develop EV infrastructure.

“You can’t sit on the sidelines and complain if you’re not competing. Obviously the business case could be quite small numbers, probably as a going-in proposition.”

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