Last year, Mazda revealed its first electric vehicle, the MX-30 crossover and it's now finally going into production at the Japanese firm's Ujina plant in Hiroshima.
Destined for Europe and similar in size to the CX-30, this new MX-30 is a bold venture for Mazda as it boasts the brand's e-SkyActiv battery and electric drive technology.
Although the crossover silhouette is instantly recognisable as a Mazda, with recessed head and taillights, the MX-30 features radical door architecture.
Pillarless design and the absence of a conventional centre B-pillar, gifts the MX-30 an extremely generous door opening aperture, to ease ingress and debussing for occupants. By using high strength new-generation steels, Mazda has been able to produce a pillarless cabin that does not sacrifice overall vehicle rigidity.
For loyal followers of the Mazda brand, this is a design feature which will be reminiscent of the RX-8 rotary power sports cars of the early to mid-2000s.
Another interesting aspect of the MX-30’s exterior is the use of black plastic cladding along the door sills, bumpers and fenders – instead of a body colour coding.
Beyond its striking styling and considered door design, the MX-30 also features a sustainable approach to interior materials. The door trim fibres are made from recycled plastic and all upholstery is sustainably sourced.
Electric Power
Powering the MX-30 is a comparatively small 35.5 kWh battery pack, which disperses energy into a 107 kW electric motor, supported by 264 Nm. As such the MX-30 should offer brisk low- to medium-speed performance.
With a range of only 200 km on a charge, this Mazda is very much configured as a city commuting electric vehicle, instead of a touring crossover. 80% charge can be achieved in approximately 40 minutes using DC rapid charging.
What it might lack in outright driving endurance, the MX-30 will compensate for with dynamics. Mazda’s engineers have equipped the company’s first electric vehicle with ‘Electric G-Vectoring Control Plus’, which is an elaborate way of saying it has intuitive torque vectoring.
Using the immediate energy delivery of its electric drivetrain, the MX-30 will advance electric motor torque to the appropriate wheels when cornering and thereby improve steering responses and overall agility.
Although the MX-30 is Mazda’s first-ever electric vehicle, it has promised that its product portfolio will have e-SkyActiv battery-powered drivetrain options for each model range, by 2030. The new MX-30 will go on sale in Europe in Q4 of 2020.
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