The Mazda MX‑30 is Mazda’s first EV

The MX-30 is no pipedream concept but the finished product, just as it will appear in showrooms in early 2021, priced we think from around £33,000. With 141bhp and a modest battery don’t expect it to be the fastest or have the largest range – least, not straight away.

In another RX-8 twist, you will be able to get one with a rotary engine. The first new rotary from Mazda since the RX-8 went out of production seven years ago, it is expected to be a tiny multi-fuel motor whose only job will be to charge the batteries and extend the range.

It is thought this rotary range extender version will follow on later in the MX-30’s life. As revealed in Tokyo, the MX-30 is pure battery powered with an all-new electric powertrain – Mazda’s first – called e-Skyactiv. As well as 141bhp, the front-mounted motor delivers 265Nm (195lb ft) of torque, while the 35.5kWh lithium battery pack under the floor provides a range of 130 miles.

Mazda says the modestly sized battery pack and motor have been chosen for reasons of sustainability and to reflect the short average journey distance of the MX-30’s intended audience. The best charging scenario is 80 per cent capacity in 40 minutes. It can also be plugged in to a domestic socket overnight at home.

Mazda is promising the MX-30 will offer a different kind of electric car drive. It has engineered it away from “one-pedal” motoring, favoured by rivals like Nissan, by reducing the amount of regenerative braking available and giving acceleration a more linear feel. Mazda has even added simulated engine noise to the cabin to further distance the MX-30 from the silent electric car norm. It is all part of delivering an appealing driving feel, aided in the handing department by precise torque control via a new version of Mazda’s GVC torque vectoring.

At 4,395mm long and 1,795mm wide the MX-30 is the same size as the petrol-powered CX-30 on which it is based. So it is among the more compact SUVs, but Mazda claims room inside for five as well as the cabin openness you only get from reverse-opening back doors and an absence of a B-pillar – a system shown to such good effect in the RX-8. The “freestyle” doors ease entering and exiting the car, says Mazda, as well as providing good access for child seats and strollers…

And they do give the MX-30 a unique selling point in an increasingly crowded market, as well as allowing the designers to deliver a new expression of Mazda’s “Soul of Motion” design language. Inside too there’s a new take on things with recycled materials, including cork, dominating.

The MX-30 is just one of many new cars unveiled at the Tokyo Show today, many of them all-electric cars that show Japan is taking the Nissan Leaf path and moving towards battery-powered models after concentrating on hybrids for so long.