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. As he explained, “We don’t want an EV to look like a fridge like some other car makers.”
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 we 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.
