Mazda Motor Corporation recently announced its new technology and product development policy towards 2030 based on the company’s long-term vision for technology development, “Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030.” Based on the Japanese automaker’s revised Medium-Term Management Plan and their endeavor for carbon neutrality by 2050, which were announced in the past year, the company will proceed with technology and product development towards 2030 following the below five policies.
Mazda will be releasing 13 electrified vehicles by 2025, though don’t expect the company to drop its internal combustion engines (ICE) by then. The Japanese automaker will still continue to improve the ICEs environmental performance by combining these with new and existing electrification technologies.
This includes the upcoming inline-6 engine, which is what we car enthusiasts are very much excited about. Mazda’s report says it will be integrated into a platform for large cars with a longitudinal engine positioning, which is a dead giveaway for its upcoming rear-wheel drive (RWD) architecture. Expect this platform to be used in the Mazda 6’s replacement, as well as the CX-5 and CX-9.
These engines will be mated to a number of electrification technologies, such as a 48-volt gasoline/diesel mild-hybrid, traditional hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid will form a part of Mazda’s “Skyactiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture”, which is used in transverse power units in their compact cars (Mazda 3 and CX-30) and longitudinal power units in their upcoming larger cars. Based on this architecture, Mazda will deliver multiple electrification solutions to meet various customers’ needs, environmental regulations, and the electric power generating infrastructure in a market.
In addition, Mazda will introduce its own unique electric vehicle (EV) platform called “Skactive EV Scalable Architecture” in 2025 for EVs with various vehicle sizes and body types. Based on those strategies, Mazda will refine its highly efficient development methods, namely Common Architecture, Bundled Planning, and Model-Based Development to enrich their technological assets for the full-scale electrification era with their business partners.
Now, here’s the interesting part, this mid-term plan will begin next year, which means starting in 2022, we can expect these all-new vehicles riding on the new Skyactiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture to make their debut. These cars will be mainly for Japan, Europe, the US, China, and ASEAN. This will consist of five hybrid models, five plug-in hybrid models, and three pure EV models. In addition, several products with the “Skyactiv Scalable EV Architecture” will be introduced between 2025 and 2030.
Based on this product launch plan, Mazda hopes that all of their cars will have varying degrees of electrification by 2030, 25 percent of which are full EVs.
Mazda is also working on a human-centric autonomous driving system called “Mazda Co-pilot Concept.” This “Mazda Co-Pilot” monitors the driver’s condition at all times and if a sudden change in the driver’s physical condition is detected, the system will switch to fully autonomous driving in order to bring the car into a safe place. The car will then be brought to a safe stop and then emergency services will be contacted. This will be called Mazda Co-Pilot 1.0, and it will make its debut in their RWD cars first, such as the next-generation Mazda 6, CX-5, CX-9, just to name a few.
Lastly, Mazda is also working on further improving their software to eventually support over-the-air (OTA) updates during the lifetime of the vehicle, as well as the development of a standardized communication system in order to provide safer and stress-free connected services to all vehicles, regardless of the manufacturer.
0 comments on “Mazda Previews Its RWD Platform, 13 New Electrified Cars By 2025”