The Mazda MX-30 R-EV made a subtle appearance at the 2024 Philippine International Motor Show. Shown just as a preview with no release date or price range, Filipinos got a chance to get up close and personal with Mazda’s offering in the growing range-extended EV market.
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The jet black color sets the tone for this compact SUV—it’s sleek and lowkey with a lot of personality as you look closer. The first thing you’ll notice about the MX-30 is that red streak that goes around the windows. On the end of that red rainbow, a badge that spells out “Mazda” oozes subdued elegance.
The hood keeps that signature Mazda shape, similar to what you’d find on the larger CX-60 and CX-90. The car takes a lot of notes from the other offerings in Mazda’s lineup to amalgamate its own distinct look and feel. Headlights look like the CX-60’s, bumper looks like a more rounded Mazda 2, with the slightest Mazda 3 inspiration taken for the grille. Put it all together, the MX-30 is its own distinct look.
Another distinct feature of the MX-30 is its freestyle doors (‘suicide doors’ is the more common term). The rear passenger doors open up to reveal a quiet cabin dressed in monochrome cloth. While technically a five-seater, the MX-30 is definitely a comfortable four-person car with just enough space to fit a couple of medium-sized luggage.
To get the dimensions right, the car fits in at 4,395mm long, 1,795mm wide, and 1,555mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,655mm. Speaking of wheels, the MX-30’s measures at 18in.
Pushing this plug-in hybrid is the e-Skyactiv motor with a single rotor, combined with a 50L fuel tank. Working together, the MX-30 should get a range of about 640km with 85 of those kilometers on just the electric motor. The car also ekes out 168hp and 260Nm of torque.
If Mazda ultimately decides to bring the MX-30 R-EV to the Philippines, it’ll definitely have its work cut out for it. While the range-extended EV market is small, the Nissan Kicks e-Power and BYD Sealion DM-i boast far longer ranges and (probably) cheaper price tags. However, we won’t really know till we see the MX-30 in local showrooms.
