Mazda: 'Hybrids are the best of both worlds, MX-30 EV was only ever a niche product'

Mazda's MX-30 electric car was only ever intended to be a niche offering, and the brand believes a mix of technologies is the best way forward right now for our market.

Speaking exclusively to Wheels, Mazda Australia's Marketing Director, Alastair Doak, said the company's MX-30 EV was a specialised product brought in with just 100 units, much like its MX-5 sports car – and therefore was never going to top the sales charts.

However, it expects its upcoming CX-60 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) to be more popular as the technology is more appropriate for where the local market is right now.

4

"We always said we would have this building block strategy of electrification and we are delivering on that," said Doak. "With MX-30 we said it from the day dot it was a niche product. So its appeal was always going to be relatively limited. But why not? Let's have a go, let's bring it here.

“Plug-in hybrid is still a relatively new technology to Australia and for this market it does make sense. It gives people that kind of best of both worlds. Most of us live on the eastern seaboard in rather large cities, even on a global comparison. But we also like to head out and go to holiday homes or whatever.

4

“So plug-in hybrid in Australia can give you that opportunity, that comfort level that you can do that without having to worry or afraid about where to plug in. Because obviously the infrastructure here isn't where it should be. I'm sure it will change quickly and there appears to be a real desire to do that, which is great, but at the moment it's um, it's still pretty difficult.

“The CX-60’s got 60km of pure EV range, so we're looking forward to it. It makes a lot of sense but we'll also have two, six-cylinder, 48V hybrid engines in that car as well which deliver fantastic performance but with good fuel economy as well.”

4

In Australia, the MX-30 is either available as a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol with 24-volt mild-hybrid assistance or as a dedicated electric vehicle with a 107kW motor and 35.5kWh battery pack, giving the vehicle a WLTP tested range of 200 kilometres, which is considerably less than most other dedicated electric vehicles available in our market.

Plans for a rotary-powered driving range extender for the model were shelved last year. According to international publication Automotive News, Mazda's planned reintroduction of the rotary engine as a driving range extender for its electric vehicles has stopped due to spiralling productions costs associated with the technology.

In recent days, market leader Toyota also came out defending the hybrid powertrain and saying a sudden influx of BEVs is not the solution to cutting carbon emissions.