A Mazda MX-30 rev will be revealed this week

The long return of by Mazda Iconic turn the final engine will take place later this month – at a small motor show in Brussels on January 13, in all places.

The company’s European press office issued a brief statement this evening saying it will unveil a new MX-30 variant with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, using a newly developed rotary as the generator. electricity.

It is titled: “Reinventing the Rotary Motor for the Electric Age”, providing insight into its application.

“Faithful to a multi-solution approach to the global challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Mazda will introduce a new powertrain option for its MX-30 at the 2023 Brussels Motor Show, ” said the statement.

“Available on the European market from this spring [March to May] The unique plug-in hybrid powertrain of Mazda’s compact crossover will feature a newly developed rotary engine-powered generator.”

This suggests that the MX-30 will function as a BMW i3 REx-style hybrid when the high-voltage battery is depleted, meaning the crankshaft will generate an electrical charge instead of directly driving the wheels.

It also has similarities with Unboxing Audi’s A1 e-tron since 2010.

The MX-30 swing range extender has been talked about for a long time – as something for those who can’t live with the full EV’s modest 200 km (WLTP) driving range.

Plus, Mazda has long aspired to bring the engine back to an era where fuel efficiency came first – never the strength of a high-revving and thermally inefficient engine. this.

We spoke with Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak back in March 2022 about local plans for the MX-30 camcorder, and the answer is positive for local buyers wanting an even more quirky offer.

“It will be launched this year,” he said, before the car was apparently delayed. “Certainly it is getting very close to production, almost as much development has been done on the car. We are very happy.”

However, the company has slightly changed its tune in the interim, with Mr Doak telling us more recently in October that its Australian outlook has turned murky – perhaps no wonder Modest sales of MX-30 EV here.

“This car exists and will,” said Mr. Doak, adding that the MX-30 rotary range extender remains on the local department’s wish list.

“I think it’ll be announced next year, and from there I’m not sure if it’ll make it to Australia.”

Last year, Mazda filed a series of trademarks with IP Australia for the naming rights to ‘e-SKYACTIV R-HEV’ and ‘e-SKYACTIV R-EV’, so perhaps…

Of course, it won’t come cheap as the MX-30 EV itself is already priced at $65,490 before on-road costs (about $71,000 to drive). Yes, the PHEV will use a smaller battery, but the engineering costs of a new camcorder will also have to be paid for a limited production run.

That means the MX-30 will have three powertrain choices: base petrol (labelled as mild hybrid), EV and PHEV series.

After Mazda has the PHEV MX-30 series powered by rotary alternator, range extender, it will also have an even more eccentric lineup than it currently has.

It already sells a unique SkyActiv-X petrol engine with spark-guided compression ignition and will have a rear-wheel drive inline six and a more conventional four-cylinder PHEV will be offered soon. in the premium focus CX-60.

THAN: Slow-selling Mazda MX-30 Electric has always been a niche electric vehicle, company says