It’s official: the Mazda MX-30 electric car with the rotary engine range extender will finally be revealed this week. It will be shown on January 13 at this year’s Brussels Motor Show in Belgium.
Very little was revealed with the announcement except the logo shown at the top of this post, which had been seen earlier after being dug up in trademark filings. It clearly combines the shape of a rotary engine’s rotor with the lower-case letter “e,” neatly indicating what will power the car. Additionally, Mazda said the range-extended MX-30 will go on sale in Europe this spring. Previously, Mazda has said it will be sold in the U.S. for the 2023 model year, so, assuming nothing complicates the launch, it should be available in a similar time frame, perhaps slightly later.
We expect the overall output of the range-extended MX-30 to be the same as the full electric model with 147 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. No changes should be necessary to the electric motor since there’s a lot of space under the hood, particularly for a very compact engine like the planned rotary. Based on conversations with Mazda representatives in the past, the rotary model’s electric range will probably be reduced compared to the regular EV. This is because some of the EV’s 35.5-kWh battery pack would have to be removed to make space for a fuel tank. Of course the trade-off would likely be greater overall range and the convenience of fast refueling from widespread gas stations.
