Mazda has just revealed its strategy and timeline for introducing new drivetrain technologies at the Mazda Tech Forum in Frankfurt.
2019 is gearing up to be a big year for the small Hiroshima-based automaker. That’s when Mazda expects to launch vehicles powered by the new gas engine that boasts a number of diesel engines characteristics, without the toxic emissions. However, the Japanese brand won’t just be fine-tuning its internal combustion gas engines to make them more powerful and efficient; it will also offer electrified drivetrains on a large part of its line-up. And all that by 2019!
What exactly do they have in store? They’ll be launching mild hybrid and battery-powered electric powertrains in the same year. The EV will be a joint effort between Mazda and automobile giant Toyota. It will be introduced in markets with sustainable power supply networks and markets where restrictions have been placed on internal combustion engines in a bid to curb pollution. Based on the first condition, Quebec can expect to see electric vehicles from Mazda in 2019.
Mazda’s development schedule also indicates that a semi-autonomous driving system, called Co-Pilot Concept, will be released in 2020, and a plug-in hybrid model will come out in 2021.
Also according to Mazda, internal combustion engines will remain available until 2035.
Additionally, the brand’s upper management stated that vehicles using conventional, internal combustion engines (with no electric assist) will continue to be offered in 2035, but these vehicles will make up a significantly lower share of the market. By then, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains will be the most popular options, while battery-powered electric vehicles will occupy 11.2% of the market, and vehicles with hydrogen-powered fuel cells will account for 4.4% of the market.
