Mazda CEO Expects Long Life for Affordable, Reliable Gas Engines in U.S.
The automotive market is yielding some compelling narratives as automakers deploy different strategies to try to meet both regulatory and consumer demands, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. In an interview with Automotive News, Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro spoke plainly about his perception of the American automotive landscape, and Mazda’s efforts to meet consumers’ needs.
“Customers are looking for affordable solutions rather than electrified solutions,” shared Masahiro. “They are looking for better value. They are still looking for a reliable internal combustion engine. But we will be capable of making everything some version of electrified, including mild hybrid. Looking at U.S. customers, they are looking for better, reliable engines.”
Masahiro cited American consumers’ demand for affordable, reliable internal-combustion cars as one of the main reasons why Mazda had its best sales in North America in the brand’s 54-year history, with sales eclipsing 400,000 units. Mazda intends to keep internal combustion vehicles like the 3 and the CX-5 in the market while also working on battery technology for both hybrids and its own EV platform. The CX-50 hybrid, in particular, proved to be more popular than anticipated, with the take rate of the hybrid coming in at around 40 percent.
In an all-of-the-above approach that extends beyond its ICE and hybrid offerings, Mazda is developing a proprietary EV battery that it hopes will be ready by 2030, offering improved energy density and the ability to charge faster than today’s batteries. Because the batteries will be able to store more power, vehicles will need fewer of them, reducing weight and also cost. “In addition to that, we are trying to replace graphite, cobalt, and those kinds of critical materials,” said Masahiro.
Masahiro also stated that Mazda’s anticipated rotary-powered hybrid is “very close” and that the Japanese market would use a single-rotor variant. Still, American buyers would demand more power, so a two-rotor model is being developed. That doesn’t mean Mazda is giving up on its piston engines, as Skyactiv-Z is currently under development. The new family of engines will be viable beyond 2030 as emissions requirements become more strict, and Masahiro promised that the naturally aspirated Skyactiv-Z engines would still deliver impressive power.
We suggest taking a look at the full interview with Masahiro, as his outlook on the market and Mazda’s approach to it seems measured and flexible. We’re always excited to have plenty of choices in the market, and Mazda seems happy to offer buyers quite the selection. If Skyactiv-Z can help deliver the kind of driving performance we expect from Mazda, then we’re looking forward to what’s to come.
