Mazda is the latest automaker to announce plans about electrifying its model portfolio on the long road to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Getting there will require major investments to gradually retire the internal combustion engine and eventually offer an EV-only lineup. Meanwhile, the years ahead are going to be busy as the Japanese marque will be introducing a lot of electrified models.
No fewer than five hybrid vehicles will be launched between 2022 and 2025, along with five plug-in hybrids and three purely electric cars. These products will largely target the domestic market Japan, as well as Europe, the United States, China, and the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region. Mild-hybrid powertrains, which are already available for select models, will continue as the entry point into the electrified Mazda lineup.
Gallery: Mazda electrified powertrains
SKYACTIV EV Scalable Architecture is the official name of what will be Mazda's first platform dedicated to electric vehicles. It will be inaugurated on a production model in 2025 and will serve as the foundation for several vehicles of various sizes and body styles scheduled to come out until the end of the decade.
Let's also keep in mind the rotary engine is indeed coming back, but not for a performance car. Instead, it will serve as a range extender in the MX-30, a crossover initially launched strictly as an EV before Mazda added a hybrid version in some markets. The company estimates its entire lineup will feature some form of electrification by 2030 when a quarter of its products are projected to be EVs.
Electrifying Zoom-Zoom:
Beyond its busy electrification agenda, the relatively small automaker is also working on a more advanced autonomous driving system. Dubbed "Mazda Co-Pilot Concept," it will premiere in the next generation of large cars in 2022, likely the rear-wheel-drive cars set to use inline-six engines. More evolved versions of the system will monitor the driver’s condition at all times to automatically activate the autonomous driving system if the driver can no longer safely control the vehicle. The car will brake on its own before coming to a full stop where it will be safely possible, and it'll also call an ambulance.
Source: Mazda