Mazda MX-30 Confirmed for U.S. with EV, Rotary Hybrid Variants

Mazda’s quirky foray into the electric-vehicle market, the MX-30, will eventually come to the U.S. A Mazda spokesperson confirmed to C/D that the company will offer the MX-30 in America with two drivetrains: either solely with an electric motor and a battery pack or with a plug-in-hybrid setup using a rotary gasoline engine.

The MX-30, revealed in 2019, is a small crossover with five seats and rear half-doors that are reminiscent of the company’s most recent rotary-powered sports car, the RX-8. In global markets, the EV version has a 144-horsepower electric motor powering the front wheels and is offered with a small 35.5-kWh battery pack that provides a short 124-mile driving range on the WLTP cycle. While Mazda has an emissions justification for such a small battery pack and short range, we wouldn’t be surprised if the company decides to fit a larger battery pack for the U.S. version of the car.

We don’t know the specs for the plug-in hybrid, but we expect it to be powered primarily by the electric motor. Similar to models such as the BMW i3 and Chevy Volt, the gasoline engine will serve mostly as a range-extender that kicks in to charge the battery pack—only in the MX-30’s case, that engine will use an unconventional rotary design.

Mazda has yet to say anything about timing for the MX-30’s arrival on our shores, but we’d expect to hear more by the end of the year, with it possibly reaching dealerships for the 2022 or 2023 model year.

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