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Mazda has revealed its first electric vehicle, the MX-30 SUV, at the Tokyo motor show.

 

The MX-30 is built on Mazda’s new e-SkyActiv platform that will underpin the brand’s hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric model in the lead up to 2030.

 

Dimensionally, the MX-30 comes in at 4395mm long, 1795mm wide and 1570mm high with a 2655mm wheelbase. So it’s close to the upcoming CX-30.

 

At launch in Europe, the car will be equipped with a 35.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack that provides approximately 210km of electric range when fully charged, well below the 449km offered by the Hyundai Kona Electric.

 

Owners can replenish the battery using the onboard 6.6kW AC charger or a 50kW DC fast charger which can deliver 80 per cent capacity in 30 to 40 minutes. Strangely, Mazda is yet to release performance figures.

 

Mazda’s G-Vectoring Control (GVC), which uses the powertrain to improve chassis performance, has evolved into e-GVC Plus, the system leverages the torque characteristics of the electric motor to optimise the front-rear load shift under an even wider range of driving situations.

 

It’s a sharp-looking coupe-style SUV that revives the suicide doors not seen on a Mazda since the demise of the RX-8. The brand claims the doors use custom-designed hinges that allow the front doors to open to 82 degrees and rear doors to open to 80 degrees, which not only makes entering and exiting the car easier but also provides easier access for strollers and wheelchairs.

 

On the inside, there’s a floating console, a new 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment screen, and new materials including a breathing fibre made from recycled PET bottles and cork left over from the production of cork bottle stoppers.

 

European markets are expecting the MX-30 to launch in early 2021. Mazda Australia is yet to confirm whether or not the MX-30 will be offered locally.