Mazda pushes back the launch of its own electric cars to focus on hybrid vehicles, with the 2027 Mazda CX-5 to be the first to gain petrol-electric power

Mazda is walking back its electric car plans as it shifts resources to hybrid vehicles.

The Japanese brand’s CEO Masahiro Moro said the company will move the launch of its dedicated electric vehicle platform back to 2029, according to Autonews.

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“Regarding internal man-hours, we are shifting resources back from electric vehicle-related work to internal combustion engines and hybrid vehicles,” said Moro.

“When paired with the Skyactiv-Z, our in-house hybrid system creates an excellent combination with an engine that offers exceptional performance and efficiency.”

Mazda told CarsGuide during a briefing at its research and development centre in Tokyo in 2025 it will have its own electric car platform, which was to bear fruit by 2028.

The company was going to use the next few years to transition to electrification with a focus on battery tech development and procurements before the first dedicated electric car rolls off the production line.

Mazda is developing a new way of producing cars that would allow one production line to make internal-combustion engined vehicles, hybrids and electric vehicles depending on demand.

This would help it adjust to lulls in EV demand without having to mothball production lines, which has impacted other major makers such as Ford and Volkswagen.

Mazda’s partnership with Chinese carmaker Changan has bought it some time to get its own in-house developed vehicles up to speed.

The 6e sedan will launch in Australia in the coming months, followed by the CX-6e SUV. Mazda also has plans for at least three more vehicles from the partnership.

Moro also announced the company was reducing its EV sales target from as much as 40 per cent of sales to just 15 per cent by 2030.

Mazda will instead focus on hybrids, which have also experienced strong growth, especially in the US, which is Mazda’s biggest market by some margin.

Mazda fans can expect the new hybrid tech to be fitted to a wide range of vehicles.

The company said the hybrid engine will be the core power source for its line-up in the electrification era over the next decade.

Mazda hasn’t committed to what models will use the hybrid, but said it could be introduced to any model and it could become mainstream.

That means we could see a next-generation CX-30 or Mazda3 hybrid in the coming years, as Mazda’s Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Guyton, said the next-generation small cars were the next priority after the brand finishes its hybrid development.

Mazda also confirmed a new CX-3 SUV, which is due in 2027 and could be the next model to go hybrid.