Although Mazda is in the midst of launching the 6e and CX-6e electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia and Europe, its upcoming range of EVs that are being developed in-house have reportedly been delayed again.
The SkyActiv Scalable EV Architecture was announced in 2021, and at the time Mazda said the first model based on the platform would be launched in 2025, but this was later pushed out to 2027.
According to documents seen by AutoExpress, the timeline has slipped again, with the first EV on the architecture now scheduled to debut in 2028, at the earliest.
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Christian Schultze, deputy general manager for research and development at Mazda Europe, told the British magazine that developing the architecture has been challenging as “EV technology is not something stable”, meaning that “while you’re developing, things are changing”.
He also noted that Mazda, as a relatively small manufacturer on the world stage, has had issues with “availability of resources and expertise”.
Mr Schultze is happy that Mazda has been able to lean on its Chinese partner Changan to launch the 6e sedan and CX-6e SUV into the Chinese, European and Australian markets, as it gives the automaker “certain relief and the ability to do it right” for its in-house EVs.
Both the 6e sedan and CX-6e SUV are based on Changan’s EPA1 platform, which serves as the basis for the closely related Deepal S07 electric SUV.
To date, the only EV that Mazda has developed internally has been the MX-30. Sold in Australia between 2021 and 2023, the MX-30 sold poorly locally and globally.
It had a 107kW motor driving the front wheels, a 35.5kWh battery with a range of 200km under the WLTP testing regime, and was priced at $65,490 before on-road costs. At the time, the entry-level 220kW rear-wheel drive Tesla Model Y boasted a 60kWh battery, and had a claimed WLTP range of 455km.
On top of this, the MX-30 had just four seats, and entry to the rear seats was made difficult thanks to reverse-hinged rear doors that required the front doors to be opened first.
Mazda has yet to provide details about what type of models it intends build on the SkyActiv Scalable EV Architecture, but it’s probably a safe bet that the first car will be an SUV of some description.