Mazda’s First Dedicated EV Reportedly Pushed Back to 2029
The little Mazda MX-30 proved to be a colossal failure, and the brand new CX-6e will be reserved for Europe. So, when will we see a truly competent and competitive Mazda electric vehicle in North America? The latest news is not encouraging.
Due to lower-than-expected demand combined with the rollback of emissions regulations in the U.S., Mazda has apparently decided to postpone the production and launch of its next-generation EV for global markets from 2027 to 2029, Japanese media reported this week.
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We’re talking about the first model built on its new electric vehicle architecture developed entirely in-house. The CX-6e, derived from the Chinese-spec EZ-60, is the result of a collaboration with Changan, Mazda’s partner in China.
To be clear, there has been no official announcement yet, but a company spokesperson has shared the following statement with U.S. publication Automotive News: “We continue to advance the technological development of our proprietary BEVs based on our multi-solution strategy and will determine the timing of their introduction while carefully assessing regulatory trends in each country and changes in customer needs.”
Two conclusions can be drawn from this. First, the camouflaged electric SUV prototype that was spotted testing on California roads in the fall of 2025 is definitely not going to happen anytime soon. It was supposed to enter production in Japan sometime in 2027, as announced in March of last year.
Second, Mazda is seemingly turning its focus on adding hybrid models to its lineup in order to capitalize on growing demand for hybrids across the automotive industry.
The CX-50 Hybrid is a good seller in the U.S. but is no longer imported here due to Canadian tariffs on American-made vehicles that do not meet CUSMA requirements. Alternatively, Mazda offers the CX-70 PHEV and CX-90 PHEV, two plug-in hybrid midsize SUVs that deliver good performance and fuel economy, but have experienced some reliability issues.
Down the road, sales of the redesigned CX-5 will start this spring with a hybrid variant to follow in 2027. The next Mazda3 is likely to do the same, except at a later date.
