The all-new Mazda3
promises to be more fuel-efficient than its predecessor thanks to its
Skyactiv-X engine, but fans wanting something even more eco-friendly won’t have
to wait much longer.
According to
Autocar, the brand’s first electric vehicle will arrive in 2020 and be a
standalone model which isn’t based on an existing vehicle. There’s no word on
which form the EV will take, but Mazda’s design boss said he doesn’t want the
model “to look digital.” The publication says this means Ikuo Maeda wants the
vehicle to look like the rest of Mazda’s lineup rather than something
futuristic.
The company’s
European design boss, Jo Stenuit, also took a swipe at the designs of other
electric vehicles. Little else is known about the model at this
point, but Mazda, Toyota and Denso announced plans to “jointly develop basic
structural technologies for electric vehicles” back in 2017. The agreement
aimed to build on the strengths of all three companies and covered an
assortment of products including cars, light trucks and SUVs.
While the
partnership was announced last year, Mazda Europe CEO Jeff Guyton said the
brand’s first electric vehicle won’t be a result of the tie-up. As he
explained, the company was already working on the model before the agreement
was struck.
There’s no word on
when they can expect electric vehicles from the Mazda-Toyota-Denso partnership,
but the companies noted the importance of joining forces. As they explained, electric vehicles require
“huge investments and time” despite the fact that they haven’t found widespread
acceptance quite yet.
