Mazda has announced an investment plan of nearly $11 billion to produce more electric cars by 2030, when these models could account for 40 percent of total sales. The company will also invest in battery production, looking for partners in this field.

Mazda sold 1.3 million vehicles worldwide last year, and the CX-5 was the best-selling model, followed by the Mazda2, Mazda3 and CX-30. The company sold 189,000 cars in Europe, 332,000 in the US, 157,000 in Japan and 183,000 in China.

Like Toyota and Honda, Mazda has been a laggard in electrifying its lineup and has now revised its goal of 25% to 40% of total sales in 2030 for all-electric vehicles. Before this new plan, the target was 25%.

The first all-electric car that Mazda released in Europe was the MX-30 version in the fall of 2020.

Especially after 2028, the pace of electric vehicle deployment will accelerate, and electric vehicle production in the US is also being considered. Emphasis will also be placed on brand development in the Chinese market.

Growth will be based on investments with other companies in battery and semiconductor, inverter and electric motor companies, with automakers learning a lot from the component crisis that has hit the industry over the past two years. If you have a good relationship with component suppliers, and especially if you have invested in their factories,

Mazda will introduce more plug-in hybrids in the coming years, based on more profitable models: the CX-60 and CX-80.

North America will remain the most important market for the company, and it will also invest there in the production of hybrid cars.

Mazda’s best sales years in Europe were three decades ago, with annual figures of more than 300,000 units. And the 2019 fiscal year was good, with 264,000 cars, but then it went downhill.

Sources: Reuters, Automotive News