Mazda sees the future and it now involves EVs. The company plans to develop and introduce “7 or 8” all-electric models by 2030. This cam from the mouth of Mazda CEO Masahiro Moto, who spoke with Automotive News.
Moto has not been shy in recent years about proclaiming his scepticism regarding BEVs, particularly regarding the potential to sell large quantities of them. But Mazda’s approach is now changing, apparently. The executive is not exactly a sudden convert to the cause. He maintains that Mazda is an “intentional follower” in the race to electric mobility, and he told Automotive News that in his view, “The demand for electric cars is still growing too slowly. Right now, customers are still looking for alternatives that are not EVs.”
Recently, Mazda did say it wants between 25 and 40 percent of its sales to be EVs by 2030. That won’t satisfy legislated requirements in many markets, including the U.S., so the company will have to contend with that reality going forward.
In the meantime, however, even to get to those relatively modest levels, Mazda needs to put more effort and money into development of electric models and technologies than it currently does. The automaker has set up a department tasked with developing EVs based on a modular platform, which should be ready between 2025 and 2027. Moro says Mazda will continue to partner with Toyota on development of software and electrical infrastructures, even adding that up to 90 percent of the software it uses could come from the Japanese giant. He acknowledged that “there are many things an individual company can’t do alone.”
Initially, Mazda will prioritize producing EVs for its home market of Japan. The first models could appear there sometime after 2025. By 2028, the goal is to start introducing models in North America, and then reach that target of 7 or 8 new EV models in the lineup by 2030.
Here’s one takeaway from these latest statements by the Mazda CEO. It’s hard to detect much enthusiasm for the electric shift on the part of a company that is already several lengths behind others; it’s hard not to see Mazda as a reluctant mover in the domain, and if it wasn’t for those ever-stricter government requirements for electrification, it might not be moving at all towards eliminating internal combustion engines from its lineup. Time will tell if the company’s enthusiasm grows in the next few years.
