Mazda Delays To Coocalize EV Production In The US, Focus On Exports

Mazda MX-30. (Doc. Mazda USA)

JAKARTA - Mazda, one of the Japanese automakers, is currently facing stiff competition in the development of electric vehicles. It only has one fully electric model, namely MX-30, Mazda must compete in the US automotive market, especially when the country is experiencing rapid development in electric vehicles.

Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro has stated that they will not be in a hurry to build an electric vehicle factory in the US, and is likely to wait until 2028 to start local production. This plan is also in line with previous intentions expressed by former CEO Akira Marumoto.

Mazda has other strategies to address this situation; they plan to focus on exporting electric vehicles from Japan by investing 10.6 billion US dollars (equivalent to IDR 158.6 trillion) to support electrification plans by 2030.

Moro menjelaskan bahwa rencana ini adalah bagian dari tahap ketiga peningkatan penuh kendaraan listrik yang akan dimulai pada tahun 2028, sambil juga meluncurkan produksi kendaraan listrik di Amerika Utara.

"Our assumption for North American EV production is the third stage of time," Moro said as quoted by CarBuzz, Sunday, July 16.

Mazda plans to present two variants of electric vehicles, including conventional and hybrid engine (ICE) model-based cars. Both models will use a dedicated platform for electric vehicles planned to be introduced in the second phase between 2025 and 2027.

Although Mazda owns a US factory, Moro insists that at this time they do not plan to produce electric vehicles in the region in the near future.

Mazda MX-30 is the only model currently fully supported by electricity, while other models are launched with milli-hybrid and plug-in hybrid technologies.

Mazda MX-30 uses a synchronous AC magnetic permanent electric motor with a power of 143 dk, with a front-wheel drive and direct-drive transmission system.

This vehicle is equipped with a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 32 kWh which is liquidly cooled, capable of traveling up to 161 km after one charge. However, this figure is low for electric vehicles in general.

Mazda is committed to expanding the electric vehicle segment (BEV) by releasing more electrification models between 2028 and 2030.