Mazda will unveil their 'brand new' EV model at Tokyo Motor Show next month

[tacobell fan]

Today, Mazda confirmed that they’ll be unveiling a new EV at the Tokyo Motor Show next month, according to Automotive News.

Mazda has been prepping a new EV, with prototypes recently spotted testing in a “CX”-style crossover body.  But Mazda says that this new EV will be a “brand new model,” rather than using the CX-30 body that has been spotted on prototypes.

Specs are light so far, as one would expect out of a car that has not yet been unveiled and only spotted in camouflaged prototype form.  While Mazda has not announced a release date, previous statements suggest that Mazda’s first EV will hit the road in 2020.

The prototype’s electric powertrain includes a 35.5kWh battery.  It can deliver 105kW (142hp) of power and 264Nm (195 lb-ft) of torque. We don’t yet know what charging options will be available or what range the car will have.  It will likely be somewhere around 120-140 miles with a battery that size.

These numbers are on the low end of the current EV market – a base Nissan Leaf has 147hp and 40kWh battery for 151 miles of range.  Other “crossover-style” entries into the market, like the Chevy Bolt and Kia Niro/Hyundai Kona (and Nissan Leaf Plus), have even larger batteries and more power.

Mazda has previously said that their first EV would be positioned between a CX-5 and CX-3, which puts it very much in line with the size of the aforementioned vehicles.

This is a popular car segment in the US right now, and while the first generation of electric cars were mainly “small hatchbacks,” we’re seeing a lot of new EVs in the “crossover” space.

Some new electric hatchbacks are coming out as well, with the Honda E and Mini Cooper SE having similar battery/power specs, but EU-focused cars like the Renault Zoe, Peugeot e-208 and Opel Corsa-e all have significantly bigger (~50kWh) batteries for 200+ miles of range.

These hatchbacks are relevant here because the former smaller-battery vehicles are being offered at similar prices as the latter larger-battery vehicles, which may be a difficult sell.  Mazda could fall into the same trap if they price their car too high.  It will probably need to be priced closer to the price of a base Leaf (~$30,000 before incentives), rather than the price of a Chevy Bolt (~$37,000 before incentives).  Or offer something very compelling that Kia, Hyundai, and Chevy cannot.  We’ll find out next month at the Tokyo Motor Show.