Mazda Discontinues US Sales of Electric Vehicle
Mazda’s MX-30, an unconventional electric vehicle, is being withdrawn from the US market after the 2023 model year, indicating that the company is aware of its peculiarity. Mazda is presently prioritizing “large platform” plug-in hybrids such as the CX-70 and CX-90, along with conventional hybrids like the CX-50.
The MX-30 is Mazda’s first and so far the only mass-produced electric car, and it came to the country in the fall of 2021 as a California-only model. Its prospects were limited from the start by several unusual business decisions. In addition to its small size, it only had a 35.5 kWh battery with an estimated range of 100 miles. This was supposed to make it feel more like a gas car and limit the car’s CO2 footprint, but the result was a car that was less exciting to drive and less practical than competing EVs, and cost significantly less than the Mazda’s $35,385 sticker. The outgoing current-generation Chevy Bolt costs $9,000 less while offering more performance and more than double the range.
Sales were correspondingly weak. Mazda has sold just 571 units of the MX-30 in the US over three years. In some countries, the company has modified the machine into a plug-in hybrid with a rotary gas engine and an estimated 53 miles of electric-only range.
Mazda is rethinking its electric car strategy. It plans to introduce cars based on both an existing platform and a new frame. The company is said to use an upcoming Toyota platform that is expected to travel more than 600 miles on a charge. Discontinuing the MX-30 isn’t the end, in other words—rather, it’s an acknowledgment that the company needs to be more competitive.
The move also reflects the general difficulty of Japanese brands entering the electric car market. Honda may not be replacing its E compact, and is refocusing on SUVs like next year’s Prologue, as well as its partnership with Sony. Toyota and Subaru, meanwhile, had problems launching the bZ4x SUV crossover and its Solterra counterpart. For now, they have to rely largely on hybrids to attract buyers.
