The show's over for Mazda's latest EV offering.
The Japan-based automaker recently announced it is taking its MX-30 crossover EV off the US market again and that it won't have a 2024 model year due to poor sales performance.
Mazda initially made the car for sale in California in 2021 but had to pull it off the US market from Aug. 2022 until Jan. 2023 for the same reason.
The Mazda MX-30 car is pictured at the Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo on October 25, 2019.
Mazda's MX-30 Troubles
Mazda's MX-30 crossover EV is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Many publications like The Verge, Wired, and Forbes had little praise for the car due to its short 92-mile battery range, making it one of the shortest-range EVs on the US EV market.
While there are people who don't need an EV that can go long ranges on a single full charge, many EV customers are, which spelled the car's downfall in the US market. A fact that Mazda may have finally acknowledged.
The automaker recently announced it is discontinuing its MX-30 crossover EV for the US market following the 2023 model year. As such, the car won't receive a 2024 year model, nor will it appear in the US, particularly California, anytime soon.
Autoweek mentioned that Mazda only offered the MX-30 in California for undisclosed reasons, which helped limit the car's potential customer base. Additionally, its MSRP of $35,385 after destination may have contributed to the car's lack of popularity.
However, the EV's poor range is more than enough to doom the little electric crossover despite its stylish appearance and fun driving experience. As a result, only 576 bought an MX-30 unit from 2021 to June 2023, with 66 sales happening this year through June, per Auto Blog.
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This instance is the second time Mazda pulled out its MX-30 from the US market, with the first happening in Aug. 2022 due to bad sales numbers. Mazda previously expected it would sell 560 MX-30 units during its first run but came up 55 units short when it pulled the EV out - the company managed to sell only 505 units in the US.
The bad sales numbers were unwelcome news to Mazda's ears - the MX-30 EV was the company's introduction to modern battery-electric platforms. With it gone, the automaker is no longer offering a battery-powered EV (BEV) in the US.
Mazda's New Focus
Due to the MX-30's poor sales numbers, Mazda decided to shift its electrification focus elsewhere, namely on its large platform of plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs).
Mazda stated in its announcement it is focusing its electrification efforts on its PHEVs, cars like the 2024 CX-90 PHEV, the CX-50 Hybrid, and the upcoming CX-70 PHEV. Interstingly, Mazda is introducing its CX-50 Hybrid into its US market lineup to address the market's specific needs.
It's difficult to say when Mazda will rejoin the race for BEVs in the US. However, considering what happened with the MX-30, it wouldn't be happening within the next few years.
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