Mazda electrifies with MX30
MAZDA’S electric vehicle, the MX30, was unveiled last week at the Tokyo Motor Show, putting an immediate tick in the ‘‘breakthrough’’ column for the car giant. Using a watercooled lithiumion battery to power the car makes it the first time Mazda has entered the field of electric vehicles.
What made the reveal more startling was the more you learned about the MX30 the more innovations were revealed.
Some will surprise the purist. What Mazda call their ‘‘Kodo’’ design, seeking a look of solidity, means they’ve dropped the signature wing that is used on all other models in their lineup.
There have been suggestions in the past that too many EVs looked like the mechanical version of a silverbeet smoothie, the designers so determined to be politically correct that a driver ran the risk of dozing off just looking at the car.
No chance of that with the MX30. Hell, just getting into the MX30 is different. There are no pillars between the front and rear doors. You open the front door first, out to a big 82degree angle, and then the back door opens in the opposite direction, giving extraordinary access to the back seat.
Parents of the world will come to bless the freestyle doors idea. For example, the layout and the absence of a centre pillar makes it possible to bring a stroller right beside the rear seat and comfortably put a baby into a child seat while maintaining eye contact.
While we’re talking of doors, the door grips, like the tray section of the console between the driver and front passenger seats, are made of cork. Because no trees are cut down and only the bark is stripped away to obtain the material, cork, Mazda points out, is a naturally derived product with low environmental impact.
But wait, there’s more.
The MX30 uses cork left over from the production of cork bottle stoppers. To ensure the durability needed for use as car parts, Mazda developed a dedicated coating and a special technique to process the cork and its base material at the same time.
The material also pays tribute to the company’s heritage by harking back to Mazda’s founding in 1920 as the
Toyo Cork Kogyo Co Ltd.
For the feel of the 21st century, the MX30 uses a seveninch touchscreen display at the front of the console. When the driver opens the door and gets into the car, a subtly changing graphic appears on the screen. The graphic changes its look depending on the time of day and the temperature. Once the car is turned on, it displays the airconditioning controls and lets the driver know that it is ready to go.
And it will go. Last month motoring journalist Oskar Alley flew to Norway, and had the chance to put the MX30 (its power unit hidden inside the bodywork and chassis of a CX30 SUV), through its paces.
His immediate reaction then? ‘‘This car is bloody swift — the power delivery is surprisingly good, not just for an EV but even for a petrol version. The throttle response is equally superb and subtle, delivering plenty of power.’’
What makes it game, set, and match for the MX30 is that the look and feel of the car are as dramatic as its performance. — driven.co.nz