Mazda’s new plug-in hybrid system will be deployed in the U.S., Europe and Japan. It mates a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder Skyactiv-G gasoline engine to a 17.8-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery and a 129-kilowatt electric motor. Total system output is 241 kW, or about 328 hp. The setup, called e-Skyactiv PHEV, can cover 0 to 62 mph in 5.8 seconds and drive about 39 miles in EV mode.
Meanwhile, the new diesel engine delivers 245 hp and does 0 to 62 mph in 7.3 seconds. Brawny torque is its intended selling point.
Those specifications are indicative of the drivetrains Mazda will introduce in its other large vehicles and in other markets.
Looking to 2030, Mazda’s road map will require a huge ramp-up in electrification.
Mazda expects global sales of all types of vehicles to rise to 1.8 million in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. Assuming worldwide volume at that level or higher in 2030, Mazda’s current plan would amount to at least 450,000 EVs by then.
