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Mazda's tanking sales have everything to do with supply chain issues. Mazda is losing tons of sales right now because the lots are empty. This isn't why the bad EV is doing bad... just the normal CX5 sales.
Mazda sales are down 25% from last year, presumably it has nothing to do with demand, it is all supply issues.
But before the Mazda MX-30 was released when the specs were published, virtually every single reviewer said this EV is going to tank. It is vastly overpriced for what it is offering.
I am not anti-Mazda - it's just that this thing really stands out for the wrong reasons and that seemed noteworthy. I mean - when Subaru and Toyota rolled out the bZ4X/Solterra, which is much more capable, you and I were saying something like "It's decent, but not impressive for a new EV model these days - they should have done more"... and then you look at this MX-30, and say "wait, what???"
The one thing I read about this that sounded somewhat appealing, is that they have a follow-on model coming, that will have this basic electric powertrain together with a small rotary engine "range-extender" motor - to make, basically a plug-in hybrid with really good electric range. I think that *might* fly if people understand the use-cases and rationale... we'll see.
Agreed that this was a wasted chance for the R&D staff to learn some things by challenging themselves, which they clearly didn't do. I am not writing Mazda's epitaph, but they usually put out pretty good cars and this was a rare misfire for them.
I'm not anti-Mazda either. I like their design language and have an affinity for the underdog which Mazda very much is. I also like Mazda's willingness to explore different powertrain options such as its history with the Wankel rotary engine. I think the problem is that as a Japanese company, the behemoth in the room, Toyota, can and does lobby for things in the home market to swing towards specific things and Toyota essentially moved the Japanese industry away from diving fully into electric vehicles and instead spent a lot of time on hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells and combustion engines so their electric vehicle offerings are now pretty meager with Nissan the only one potentially having a strong showing in the near future for EVs.
The idea of a PHEV with a pretty well usable electric range and a range extender for long trips is pretty solid. The Chevrolet Volt, if not for the form factor not well suited for the US market and GM having pulled out of a bunch of markets where PHEVs with decent all-electric range, was a very solid entry. The problem with a lot of PHEVs until lately with a few exceptions like the Chevrolet Volt, has been that the electric-only mode has very little range, not enough to even cover the US average commute, has very anemic performance, and a high sales price, but that doesn't have to be the case as evidenced by several of the PHEVs released in the past couple of years.
The idea of using a rotary engine as a compact yet powerful range extender is in abstract a pretty good one as it takes advantage of its good power density and can mitigate its issues with inefficiency outside of a very narrow rpm band as a range extender that only operates in its narrow, most efficient band. However, I'm not sure even that can save the MX-30 because its efficiency in EV only mode isn't great for such a small vehicle with a small battery pack and it's already at a pretty absurdly high price so I can't imagine that the range extended version would help with either of these weak points. Had the MX-30 as electric-only been something like at least 10% more efficient and at least 10% cheaper, then maybe this would have been fine as a solid base for the range extender option to expand upon, but the base vehicle is just too pricey and inefficient for what it is. It's really confusing on what this vehicle is supposed to be.
Mazda's tanking sales have everything to do with supply chain issues. Mazda is losing tons of sales right now because the lots are empty. This isn't why the bad EV is doing bad... just the normal CX5 sales.
I can't help but think you are on to something here.
I've been rather partial to Mazda over the last decade. Three of my last five vehicles were Mazdas.
I have been actively browsing the last couple of months. Any time I go to a Mazda dealer, they have nothing on their lots aside from a few overpriced CX5s (half that aren't even AWD). The last time I visited one of their dealers, the sales person told me to come back with a built out spec sheet that he could order for me. Otherwise, there was nothing to be seen or test driven.
I think a lot of consumers are looking for more fuel efficient vehicles like hybrids and/or EVs. Mazda has been extremely late to the game here. They're essentially an economy performance carmaker who builds around a thrilling driving experience. American and European tastes have long been trending towards utility and fuel economy. I think of Mazda a lot like Pontiac was to GM, and they went defunct all the way back in 2010.
First, I think they need to overcome the supply chain hurdles as with everyone else. Secondly, they really need to up their game in terms of fuel efficient vehicles that are based on the hybrid or electric platform.
Had the MX-30 as electric-only been something like at least 10% more efficient and at least 10% cheaper, then maybe this would have been fine as a solid base for the range extender option to expand upon, but the base vehicle is just too pricey and inefficient for what it is. It's really confusing on what this vehicle is supposed to be.
Nissan LEAF sales for the first half of 2022 were 7,622 vs 7,729 for the first half of 2021. We don't have any idea how many were sold with the 40 kWh battery and how many were sold with the 62 kWh battery. The difference in MSRP is about $8000 from the 40 kWh to 62 kWh.
The Mazda MX-30 is $6000 more than the LEAF. The Mazda MX-30 has sold only 8 in July and 324 from Jan-Jul 2022.
If Mazda had priced the MX-30 the same as the 40 kWh LEAF, I still don't think it would have sold more than 2000 for the year.
I have been very critical of the range extender, but maybe I am being unfair. If you have to drive the LEAF several hundred miles you have to find a charger and spend some extended time there.
Range extenders usually only have a 2.5 gallon gas tank, so you would probably have to stop every hour. That would be a pain in the butt, but gas stations are plentiful, and you wouldn't be there for long. If you only had a long trip once a month it might be tolerable.
However, as you said, not at this price point. You are probably better off with a Prius Prime for the same price. It only has a 25 mile electric only range, but then you have 640 miles for a 11.4 gallon fuel tank.
I can't help but think you are on to something here.
I've been rather partial to Mazda over the last decade. Three of my last five vehicles were Mazdas.
I have been actively browsing the last couple of months. Any time I go to a Mazda dealer, they have nothing on their lots aside from a few overpriced CX5s (half that aren't even AWD). The last time I visited one of their dealers, the sales person told me to come back with a built out spec sheet that he could order for me. Otherwise, there was nothing to be seen or test driven.
I think a lot of consumers are looking for more fuel efficient vehicles like hybrids and/or EVs. Mazda has been extremely late to the game here. They're essentially an economy performance carmaker who builds around a thrilling driving experience. American and European tastes have long been trending towards utility and fuel economy. I think of Mazda a lot like Pontiac was to GM, and they went defunct all the way back in 2010.
First, I think they need to overcome the supply chain hurdles as with everyone else. Secondly, they really need to up their game in terms of fuel efficient vehicles that are based on the hybrid or electric platform.
The crazy thing is, for its size and hp, and with so little battery capacity meaning fairly low battery weight, the Mazda MX-30 is below average efficiency for its class. Even the large, four-door ID.4 with a much more powerful motor and larger battery pack somehow is somehow much more efficient with a 107 mpg-e rating versus the MX-30's 92 mpg-e rating.
The crazy thing is, for its size and hp, and with so little battery capacity meaning fairly low battery weight, the Mazda MX-30 is below average efficiency for its class. Even the large, four-door ID.4 with a much more powerful motor and larger battery pack somehow is somehow much more efficient with a 107 mpg-e rating versus the MX-30's 92 mpg-e rating.
Here is a particularly damning quote from the Consumer Reports review of the MX-30: "In a few decades, we wouldn’t be surprised if an example ended up at the Lane Motor Museum, a collection of automotive oddities near Nashville, Tenn. But in a growing field of EVs that’s more affordable and capable than ever, it’s difficult to imagine who would choose to purchase or lease an MX-30."
Ouch! I mean they're literally saying there is no rational reason to buy this car. It sounds harsh, but then you look at the 2022 Hyundai Kona EV - it has 258 miles of range, it's a lot more powerful (201HP, 0-60 in 7.6secs), it has a much more usable rear seat with a normal door, and it starts at $34K - same as the MX-30. Or look at the Chevy Bolt EUV - also with far greater range (247mi), power (0-60 in 6.8 secs) and rear seat room, and a rear door, and that actually starts at $27K - far less than the MX-30!
Last edited by OutdoorLover; 08-12-2022 at 05:46 PM..
The MX-30 is a dog, period. It's a solid entry into the EV market... for circa 2008 anyway. Fast-forward to 2022 and it's an embarrassment.
In short, Japanese automakers are seriously behind the EV curve because they bet heavily on hybrids and fuel cells, both of which they were on the leading edge of. But they lost that bet when the rest of the developed world's bureaucrats became infatuated with EVs. So this was Mazda's hurried and ham-handed attempt to catch up with where the rest of the world's regulatory environment is pushing the industry. Toyobaru's attempt with the Soltera/bZ4X is hardly any better. Meanwhile Honda has had to turn to GM for a mass-market-ready EV platform which won't yield results until the 2024 model year.
Don't write off the Japs just yet though, they'll find their stride in due time and probably work their way to the cutting edge of EV tech in a decade or so.
Here is a particularly damning quote from the Consumer Reports review of the MX-30: "In a few decades, we wouldn’t be surprised if an example ended up at the Lane Motor Museum, a collection of automotive oddities near Nashville, Tenn. But in a growing field of EVs that’s more affordable and capable than ever, it’s difficult to imagine who would choose to purchase or lease an MX-30."
Ouch! I mean they're literally saying there is no rational reason to buy this car. It sounds harsh, but then you look at the 2022 Hyundai Kona EV - it has 258 miles of range, it's a lot more powerful (201HP, 0-60 in 7.6secs), it has a much more usable rear seat with a normal door, and it starts at $34K - same as the MX-30. Or look at the Chevy Bolt EUV - also with far greater range (247mi), power (0-60 in 6.8 secs) and rear seat room, and a rear door, and that actually starts at $27K - far less than the MX-30!
Yea, it's pretty bad. It's quite possible for an automaker to make a bad move, and the MX-30 appears to be just that.
Yea, it's pretty bad. It's quite possible for an automaker to make a bad move, and the MX-30 appears to be just that.
To put it mildly. I think it was more an engineering test bed for future EVs they'll license the EV parts for since they don't have any R&D budget to do it themselves. It gives their engineering team some exposure to working with an EV even if it's basically inferior to a 2011 Nissan Leaf level of EV tech.
Not sure about Mazda. On the one hand they do wonders with aged, antiquated technology and a shoestring R&D budget. On the other hand they have no budget for R&D and regularly fail to deliver any modernized vehicles. I think the upcoming CX-70/90 PHEVs are going to be pretty critical for them when it comes to the continued existence of the Mazda brand. If they deliver on them the same way as the SkyActiv D and X motors, brands pretty much dead. Maybe they'll get swallowed up by the Toyota/Subaru conglomerate but independently they can't continue to operate in the long run with the aged 2.5 and 6 speed slushbox.
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