Mazda is Currently Testing its Next Electric Vehicle for North America

• Prototypes wearing CX-70 bodywork have been spotted in California.

• This model is expected to arrive in 2027 or 2028.

• It will be the brand’s first long-range electric vehicle in North America.

Several years after its competitors, Mazda is preparing to launch its first truly competitive electric vehicle in the United States and Canada.

Indeed, the Japanese manufacturer preferred to offer plug-in hybrid versions of its CX-70 and CX-90 SUVs rather than developing fully electric technology over the last decade.

There was the MX-30, a small urban crossover that was fun to drive but had too limited range to be truly competitive with other EVs on the market, but since its departure in 2024, the brand’s dealerships have had no fully electric products to offer.

That should change in 2027 or 2028, when Mazda‘s first long-range electric vehicle arrives in North America.

This model, about which we do not yet have many details, is now in the testing phase in the United States, as a prototype was spotted on the roads of Irvine, California, a stone’s throw from Mazda’s research and development center.

We can’t deduce anything about the design, as this development mule is actually a CX-70 in which the new electric powertrain has been installed.

The choice of this model as a base for road tests was certainly motivated by the fact that the upcoming EV will be a mid-size model, and therefore similar in size to the CX-70.

We know that Mazda has invested 11 billion US dollars to electrify all models in its lineup by 2030, with both hybrid and fully electric powertrains.

This sum will also have been used to create a new platform dedicated to electric models, which will be introduced by the crossover we are talking about here when production starts in Japan in 2027.

This model should benefit from new flexible assembly methods which, according to the manufacturer, reduce development time and cut production costs, particularly for large vehicles and electric ones.

In China, Mazda has partnered with Changan, a local manufacturer, to launch the EZ-6 and EZ-60, a sedan and an SUV with a modern appearance that are available in electric and plug-in hybrid versions. These vehicles could enter other global markets in the coming years, but there is little chance they will land in North America.

Despite its tardiness in this area, Mazda expects EVs to represent approximately 25% of its global sales in 2030.

A lot of hope therefore rests on the model that will mark the arrival of this new wave of electrified vehicles in the company’s largest market.

Source: Automotive News