Mazda: European “leader” in electricity

Image: Mazda

Mazda announced at the end of last year that it will invest the same amount of 10.3 billion euros in its electric distribution. The European head of the Japanese car maker revealed in an interview with Automotive News more about domestic market initiatives.

When asked about a specific date to switch off combustion engines, Martijn ten Brink referred to new regulations planned by the EU from 2035, which would be equivalent to banning combustion engines. Until then, the company will remain flexible, but will rapidly approach a 100 percent electronic offering.

According to the manager, battery electric mobility could account for between 40 and 70 percent of Mazda’s sales in Europe by 2030. He could not be more specific because the market is volatile. Estimating progress over the next 18 months is difficult. Mazda aims to increase the power supply ratio, but ultimately the market decides.

The Japanese think that the electrification transition will be slow worldwide and aim to get a share of 25 to 40 percent by 2030. “Because Europe is clearly leading in the supply of electricity,” said ten Brink.

Mazda currently has only one electric car in its lineup, the MX-30. The SUV crossover only offers a range of 200 kilometers at a high price, so sales figures have been low so far. For this year, Brink ten expects sales to increase to around 10,000 units. The brand’s plug-in mix, including a new version of the MX-30 with an additional rotary gasoline engine for the wider range and the CX-60, are expected to total 50,000 units. 10,000 to 20,000 sales are targeted for the semi-electric MX-30.

According to Brink ten, it remains unclear whether the Wankel engine generator will find its way into other Mazda lineups. The flexible MX-30 platform could be used as the basis for another Stromer, he explained, without revealing anything specific about possible model plans. Mazda’s European boss just said that a battery car will be introduced by the end of 2025 on the Scalable Electric System developed by partners.