Something’s afoot at Mazda, and that could make for even more swirling news. The automaker shared a teaser video on YouTube, focusing on the past and then turning to the future. The teaser is apparently aimed at the US market as well, as it comes from the Mazda USA YouTube channel. An “unboxing” will take place on January 12th, so we shouldn’t have long to unravel this mystery.
Thankfully, there are a few clues that point us to the electric MX-30 getting a new rotary engine as a range extender for US buyers. The big tamale is Mazda’s recent announcement that clearly states the MX-30 R-EV with a rotary is coming, even though its debut is slated for January 13 at the Brussels Motor Show in Belgium. The debut announcement determines availability for European buyers starting in the spring. No other markets were mentioned.
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Meanwhile, around the same time this Mazda USA teaser went live, the automaker announced pricing and availability for the 2023 MX-30 in the US, still selling exclusively in California. The press release made no mention of the range-expanding rotary engine, but the timing of the announcement and teaser was too coincidental to ignore. Additionally, the debut of the MX-30 R-EV in the early hours of January 13 in Brussels will be the same as January 12 in the United States.
With all that in mind, let’s talk a little bit about teasers. Acclaimed Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada struts between Mazda’s iconic vehicles, many – but not all – packing classic rotary engines. Acknowledging Mazda’s past, he moves into a darker room with a few boxes, calling it Mazda’s future. None of the boxes are car-sized, but some may contain a battery, fuel tank, and a small Wankel engine to “unbox” the new MX-30 R-EV.
Indeed, it can also be something else entirely. But we find it hard to believe Mazda would be teasing two separate announcements happening in one day.
The biggest criticism of the MX-30 is its short 100 mile range. While Mazda touts the MX-30 as an urban vehicle, competitors in the electric SUV space offer more than twice that range. A small rotary engine running at constant speed to charge the battery can be an economical solution while tugging at the heartstrings of rotary enthusiasts.
All will be revealed, however, on January 12 – perhaps in the afternoon if this is indeed related to the MX-30 R-EV’s official debut in Belgium.
