Mazda Introducing New Demio-based EV in 2012

Mazda Japan announced a new addition to the burgeoning EV (electric vehicle market) today with a new model based on its existing small hatchback, the Demio. This new electric model is aimed at businesses and other organizations and will be sold on a lease basis with a price of around or just below the 3 million Yen mark when it goes on sale in Spring 2012. This price will be achieved after taking into account various subsidies for this type of vehicle. The targeted range per charge will be 200km.

In many ways, Mazda’s approach seems conservative compared with that of Nissan (Leaf) and Mitsubishi (i-MiEV). While launching this new electric car, Mazda is also making much of its gasoline engine technological progress to reduce emissions using start-stop technology and the use of light-weight materials. In many ways it is at the rear of the pack of the large Japanese manufacturers in this sense, as it has neither the hybrid focus of Toyota, nor has it fully embraced electric technology in the way that Nissan has. It remains to be seen whether this conservative “toe-in-the-water” approach will be enough to see Mazda through the next decade of inevitable change. Only time will tell in this regard.

Source: Nikkei (Japanese)