Mazda confirms a hybrid CX-5 and electric SUV are on the way

By Nick Godt Published November 9, 2024

mazda hybrid cx 5 electric suv 2024 arata concept 4 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mazda might be making headway in the pursuit of bringing back an electric vehicle (EV) stateside.

Ever since it discontinued the MX-30 EV in the U.S. last year, the Japanese automaker has had zero EV offerings for potential U.S. customers.

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And things didn’t look any brighter last summer when Mazda launched the new EV-6, its first global electric sedan. U.S. would-be buyers never got to share the enthusiasm generated by the EV’s starting price of under $25,000. Given that the EV-6 was built in partnership with China’s Changan Automobile, doubts quickly surfaced about it ever passing through the 100% tariffs imposed on Chinese EVs by the Biden administration.

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Now, however, Mazda has made a series of announcements that indicate it’s taking electrification of its vehicles into its own hands, possibly re-opening the road to hybrid and EV offerings in the U.S.

The Japanese automaker announced it’s developing its own hybrid system for the next-generation CX-5 crossover SUV, due to be launched between 2025 and 2027. The non-electric CX-5 has been Mazda’s bestselling vehicle in the U.S.

And by 2027, Mazda says it also plans to launch an electric SUV from its own EV platform. Plug-in hybrid variants are also under consideration.

The new electric SUV is expected to resemble the Mazda Arata concept, which was shown at the Beijing auto show alongside the EV-6 sedan last summer. Mass production of the Arata is scheduled for the end of 2025 for a first introduction to the Chinese market.

On the road to electrification, Mazda also said it has signed deals with AESC and Panasonic for the supply of batteries through 2030.

Looking beyond to between 2028 and 2030, Mazda is promising a “full-scale launch” of electric vehicles.

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Freelance reporter

Nick Godt has covered global business news on three continents for over 25 years.

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According to Cox Automotive, members of the Trump administration are particularly keen on ending “this leasing loophole, which was created partly to appease Korean and Japanese automakers, who have invested billions in U.S. EV manufacturing.”
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The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), a trade group whose members include the likes of Tesla, Waymo, Rivian, and Uber, has come out in support of incentives for both the production and the sale of EVs.
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