Mazda Rolls Out The MX-30 EV

[Drew Dowdell]

Mazda rolled the new MX-30 electric vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show today. The  MX-30 is a new take on the Kodo design language and one of its most interesting features is the clamshell doors. This vehicle will be the brand's first battery electric vehicle, but it is unlikely to make it to the U.S. in this form.  What we're looking at here is a European model. 

The MX-30 is powered by a single motor driving the front wheels and a 35.5 kWh battery pack under the floorboards.  That battery size is rather small compared to some other EVs (The Chevy Bolt EV is 60 kWh for example) and range is limited to about 130 miles. Power rings up a 141 horsepower and 195 lb.-ft of torque. 

Mazda has tuned the MX-30 differently than other EVs. Rather than strong torque off the line, power builds more gradually and regenerative braking is less grabby than others. Mazda even pipes artificial engine noise into the cabin to give the sensory effect of acceleration. Mazda called the new powertrain e-Skyactive. 

There are rumors that an MX-30 will appear at the Los Angeles Auto Show with a rotary powered regenerator, a vehicle much more interesting to the North American buying public, but for now, we just sit and wait for pricing to be announced to this European model.

 

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[G. David Felt]

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

Like the normal look of the CUV, those that want a fastback will have it in this 3 1/2 door version?

Like the look of the cloth seats, dash from what can be seen is nice looking.

Best part is it is distinct from the rest of the jelly bean designs.

Failures is the small battery pack, fake engine noise and torque gradual approach. I honestly think this will doom this auto. The Torque makes me think they are affraid of motor failure with the instant torque. Why not have it after all their tag line has always been Zoom Zoom.

[smk4565]

Doesn't matter if it has a tiny battery or no range, it is a crossover coupe!  

[ocnblu]

Miserable failure.

[balthazar]

A billion to develop/certify, for like 300 sales per year.

[Drew Dowdell]

I like the look of it at least. That's about as nice as I can be about it. Maybe with a rotary generator it will be more impressive.

[ykX]

Actually while I like the looks of all the current Mazda vehicles, I am not fan of this one.  I think Mazda could do better.

Will see what the final specs will be, hopefully decent.

Edited October 24, 2019 by ykX

[ccap41]

I think it looks good and that's it. 

Too small of a battery, range will be even worse when rated here, why'd they decide to cut it 6 inches short and make it hardly even SUV-sized. 

I would be ecstatic for my 91 miles or range in the winter! 

[ocnblu]

It looks terrible, like a cobbled together test mule.

[balthazar]

No comments on the generous cladding??

Oh, right; it's not the Regal.

[ykX]

On 10/26/2019 at 8:04 PM, balthazar said:

No comments on the generous cladding??

Oh, right; it's not the Regal.

Personally, I said that it doesn't look good to me period, not just the cladding which is pretty bad.  And I am usually a fan of Mazda design.

Regal would look 100 times better without stupid cladding as can be seen on the European model.

Edited October 28, 2019 by ykX

[balthazar]

That was my point; the Regal is now nearly synonymous with ‘awful cladding’ (of which it actually has none of; that’s merely black trim), meanwhile I basically never see the same comment made about any of the other two dozen vehicles wearing the same or worse.

[ccap41]

On 10/26/2019 at 7:04 PM, balthazar said:

No comments on the generous cladding??

Oh, right; it's not the Regal.

Yeah, looks like sh!t, just like the Regal. 

[ykX]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

That was my point; the Regal is now nearly synonymous with ‘awful cladding’ (of which it actually has none of; that’s merely black trim), meanwhile I basically never see the same comment made about any of the other two dozen vehicles wearing the same or worse.

I think maybe because we all saw how it looks without the cladding and it is so much better.  Other models with cladding do not have anything to compare it too.

[esionern]

The design looks familiar. I just can't figure out what specific vehicle it looks like.