Mazda pledges to electrify car portfolio by 2030

Japanese carmaker Mazda has committed to switching its entire car portfolio to be either hybrid-electric or fully-electric by 2030, after revealing that it will bring its first hybrid vehicle to the market in 2019.


The company, which currently has no hybrid or fully-electric vehicles (EVs) in its portfolio, unveiled the new pledge on Tuesday (2 October).

“By 2030, Mazda expects that internal combustion engines combined with some form of electrification will account for 95% of the vehicles it produces and battery electric vehicles will account for the remaining 5%,” the automaker said in a statement.

As it strives to meet its 2030 target, the company has announced plans to bring its first hybrid car to the market in 2019, which will combine a battery with a range extender powered by a Mazda rotary engine. After this, Mazda is set to bring its first fully-electric vehicle to the market in 2020.

The move towards an all-electric portfolio forms part of Mazda’s ‘Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030’ sustainability strategy, which has a headline goal of reducing the firm’s “well-to-wheel” CO2 emissions by 90% by 2050, against a 2010 baseline. Mazda has set an interim target of halving CO2 emissions by 2030, against the same baseline, as it strives to meet this aim.

Launched in 2017, the strategy also includes an aim to make autonomous driving technology a standard feature in all new Mazda cars by 2025. 

Driving ahead

Mazda is the latest big-name carmaker to pledge to electrify portfolios in recent times, following similar moves from the likes of VolvoNissan and VW.

Elsewhere, Renault this summer revealed plans to pour more than €1bn of funding into EV research, design and manufacturing at four of its plants by 2022, while Porsche last month moved to remove diesel models from its range of luxury vehicles.

But while the EV revolution is undeniably continuing to gather pace, BMW and Toyota have asserted that they will continue to invest in diesel and hybrid vehicles in the face of the petrol and diesel phase-outs detailed in the UK Government’s Air Quality Plan and the EU’s 2020 emissions regulations.

Sarah George

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe