Mazda reveals standalone EV plan! Japanese maverick developing pioneering EV that will match its most advanced Chinese rivals as soon as 2027

Mazda has confirmed it is on track for a 2027 launch of its most advanced EV to date, with prototypes already testing on-road.

Announcing it had enlisted a team of crack engineers for its new E-Mazda electric car division, the Japanese brand has confirmed it will start from scratch with its inbound electric car, due in 2027.

Mazda is therefore abandoning the brand’s previous strategy of modifying an existing combustion car platform or working with a partner.

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Speaking to Autocar, Mazda chief technical officer Ryuichi Umeshita confirmed the car-maker would not work with Chinese joint venture partner Changan, like it had with the recent 6e sedan and EZ-60 SUV, but would go it alone.

Claimed to be already halfway through its development, the new car will mark the first-ever Mazda EV to be based on its own dedicated platform that could go on to spin off a family of cars.

As part of a US$10 billion investment ($A15.3b) in electrification, the new EV is being developed alongside a line-up of fresh hybrids, plus what’s thought to be a substantial investment in synthetic fuels.

But most of the cash will be ploughed into the new architecture for EVs and range-extender hybrids.

“We’ve established our own electrification development team, which we call ‘E-Mazda’, and that team has been doing a great job,” Umeshita said.

“I’ve driven a prototype car already, which I would say is a real ‘jinba ittai’ car – our key concept of wellness between car and driver. It has very good driving dynamics. So we’re confident that our EV products will be real Mazda products.”

During the interview Umeshita acknowledged that Mazda was lagging rivals but said it wasn’t because of engineering talent.

The senior exec also refused to admit what shape or form the most advanced Mazda EV will take.

But the arrival of the electric Mazda coincides with company-wide cost-cutting that has slashed the money invested in development of new cars which has seen lead times for future models, including the new EV reduced.

As part of its ‘lean asset strategy’, Umeshita boasted that Mazda can now achieve triple the amount of development with the same resources.

The car-maker’s senior engineer also declined to confirm whether the new EV would be a high-volume model, opening the door for a flagship EV that could major on performance, range and tech.

Mazda will launch its first volume EV in Australia in 2026 in the form of the 6e and is expected to follow up with the EZ-60 electric SUV.

At the Tokyo show it revealed a carbon capturing hybrid powered by synthetic fuels.