High price not to blame for death of Mazda MX-30 electric car, company claims

The Mazda MX-30 – a small hybrid and electric SUV with rear-hinged back doors – was never meant to be a top seller, its maker claims, after 131 examples of the electric version were sold in two and a half years.

The plug was pulled on the MX-30 – which was also available in a mild-hybrid version, of which 2201 have been sold since launch in 2021 – late in 2023 after less than three years on sale.

Mazda Australia says it "exhausted the natural demand", as it had a similar sales trajectory to a high-performance sports car – which sees enthusiast buyers rush to snap up new models at the start of their life cycles, before interest wanes as many of the buyers who want the car, already have one.

However the company insists high pricing for the electric MX-30 – $66,410 plus on-road costs for just 224km of claimed driving range, and even less in real-world driving conditions – was not a factor in its discontinuation.

Just 131 electric MX-30s were reported as sold between launch in August 2021, and the end of December 2023. On average, Tesla delivered more Model 3 sedans every three days in 2023.

Drive reported in 2022 on heavy discounts of up to $15,000 – or 20 per cent off – being offered by Mazda dealers for low-kilometre 'demonstrator' electric MX-30s in an attempt to clear stock.

"I don't think price was a main driver of our decision, or its success," Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi told Drive.

"It was our first electric vehicle [EV] ... When we launched it, we did say we're getting a hundred because it's a niche offering. And remember when we brought it in in 2021, the infrastructure and the mindset of embracing EVs was a very different landscape. Two or three years on, it's matured.

MORE: Mazda CX-8 and MX-30 dropped from Australian line-up

"We said let's get this car, for many reasons, apart from it being our first EV. But secondly, it was to get an understanding of what EVs are all about, start our training programme for the technicians in the dealership, and the knowledge they gain, they're applying to the mild-hybrid versions of the Large Platform [CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, CX-90] ... [and] the plug-in hybrids as well.

"It was never a volume proposition regardless of price."

The top-selling MX-30 was the petrol mild-hybrid – priced from $36,610 to $42,110 plus on-road costs in its final months – however it was outsold by the more conventional CX-30 by 23 to one.

"When it was first unveiled, [given] our strategy of offering choice [where possible], we decided to take it," said Mr Bhindi.

"But those sort of niche models do that, [where they] fly well initially and then over time, the demand settles down to a level where people are looking for the next unique thing."

"So yeah, we decided that okay, maybe it's not for us. Mazda Corporation [head office in Japan] is still building it, but we chose that we've exhausted the natural demand and satisfied those customers' needs and desires who wanted something very unique at that time."

When asked if Mazda Australia sees any missed opportunities – and if there is anything it could have done to boost sales – Mr Bhindi told Drive: "No, it was never a high volume opportunity.

"When you look at the size of it, we've got other SUV-type vehicles like CX-30, CX-3 ... and also Mazda 3 sedan and hatch. That's sort of the footprint in terms of size we're looking at. But this car was very unique. Forget the footprint – in terms of packaging, styling, drivetrains, et cetera.

"There's always going to be niche attraction ... when you look at cars like this, and many other manufacturers do the same thing, when they get out something that's niche, it goes well for a few years and then generally slows up."