• Mazda is ending production of its MX-30 electric SUV in the U.S.
In the No-Surprise department we find this today: Mazda has pulled the plug on its only all-electric model offered in the United States. The decision to kill off the MX-30 there means it will have lasted only two years in the U.S.
Why no surprise? The little SUV seemed doomed from the start, not because of a lack of qualities overall, but more for one glaring drawback: its 160-km range simply wasn't good enough.
That’s especially so because of the CX-30’s cost. Mazda priced the EV higher than Chevrolet did its Bolt – which offers 417 km of range.
The Mazda MX-30 is equipped with a 32.0-kWh battery and offers 143 hp, which is also low by today's standards.
Still offered in Canada… for now
Note that for the time being, the model is still in the catalog for the 2024 model-year in Canada.
In the United States, its prospects were further undermined by the fact it was only offered in California. In 2021, Mazda sold just 181 of them, and in 2022, 324. In the first six months of the year, just 66 MX-30s were sold.
For such a massive market, these are extremely poor results.
Instead of offering all-electric vehicles in the U.S., Mazda says its U.S. strategy will focus on plug-in hybrids. We saw the CX-90 PHEV launched earlier this year with a range of 48 km. A smaller CX-70, with a plug-in variant, is planned for 2024.
As mentioned, the MX-30 remains available here in Canada, as well as elsewhere on the planet where it is offered as a plug-in hybrid (R-EV) model thanks to the contribution of a rotary engine that serves as a range extender.
Initially, Mazda's plans included marketing that R-EV model in the United States and Canada. For the moment, it's reserved for Europe and Japan. Last February, Jeff Guyton, Mazda's CEO for North America, told Automotive News that it wasn't impossible for the MX-30 name to return, but not as an all-electric model.
A story to follow, then. Just don't expect the electric MX-30 to have a long and successful career in the Great White North.