Japan’s Mazda Outlines Boost to EV Sales Ratio

Japanese auto producer Mazda has a strategy to boost the ratio of electric vehicles (EVs) to 25pc of all sales by 2030, planning to launch three new all-electric cars by 2025.

Mazda yesterday unveiled its long-term vision for technology development, which included an upwards revision of its plan to increase the EV ratio to 25pc of all sales by 2030 compared with 5pc previously. The company now expects its full line-up will feature some degree of electrification by 2030.

The company is targeting to launch three EVs, along with five hybrid and five plug-in hybrid models, between 2022-25, mainly for markets in Japan, China, Europe and the US. The company also plans to introduce its EV platform in 2025, which is expected to be used as the foundation for EVs of various sizes and body types that are targeted for a launch over 2025-30.

Mazda in January this year launched its first mass-production all-electric car in the Japanese market following its 2019 debut and a 2020 launch in the European market. The company's 2020 domestic car output dropped by 26pc from a year earlier to 740,378 units in 2020, the fourth largest after domestic rivals Toyota, Suzuki and Daihatsu.

Japanese car manufacturers have adjusted their strategy in line with Tokyo's green growth strategy that targets the country's shift to EVs by 2035 as part of efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The government is also targeting to increase the number of EV charging stations to 150,000 by 2030 compared with 30,000 currently.

Toyota in April this year said it plans to launch 15 new battery-operated EVs in the global market by 2025. Honda has set a target for battery-operated EVs and fuel cell EVs to make up 100pc of all its new car sales globally by 2040.