Virtually every automaker is moving toward a mostly electrified lineup. Mazda is the latest to announce its plans. The company hasn’t vowed to stop building internal combustion engines by a set date like Volvo, Jaguar, and Mini have. But the company, like GM and Porsche, has set a date to reach carbon neutrality — 2050.
In a statement, Mazda also laid out plans for a sprint to no fewer than 13 new electric and hybrid vehicles in less than four years.
Key to the plans is a new vehicle platform the company calls the Skyactiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture. Among its attributes is the ability to be a platform for pure electric vehicles. Mazda plans to use it for three. It can also accommodate hybrid designs (of which Mazda plans five) or plug-in hybrids (another five).
After that, the company says, “we assume that 100% of our products will have some level of electrification, and our EV ratio will be 25% by 2030.”
Mazda has one electric vehicle (EV) reaching dealerships soon – the sharp-looking MX-30 crossover. With rear-hinged rear doors like the last-generation RX-8, it’s undeniably Mazda. In addition, the company plans to bring back its famous rotary engine design for a future hybrid version of the MX-30.
As for what form Mazda’s 13 planned electrified vehicles would take, we’ll have to wait and see. For now, the company says only that the new platform can accommodate “various vehicle sizes and body types.”
