Zoom-Zoom Gets Update for an Electrified Mazda

Over 20 years ago, “Zoom-Zoom” was Mazda’s friendly slogan that welcomed buyers with promises of an exciting and engaging vehicle lineup, but the world has changed a lot since that happy-go-lucky phrase made its debut. To acknowledge that fact, Mazda has announced a new vision for the future that brings it into the twenty-first century and beyond. The Japanese automaker calls it “Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030.” 

This will become Mazda’s mantra as it moves toward a future that includes a pivot to electrification and a stated goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. By 2030, Mazda plans to electrify all of its vehicles, but will begin its journey with a handful of new models.

In the near term, between 2022 and 2025, Mazda says it will introduce five new hybrid models, five plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models, and three electric vehicles (EV). Mazda will employ electrified powertrains from Toyota, and the two companies are set to open a joint-venture assembly plant in Alabama later this year. The facility will build the production version of the Toyota bZ4X and a similar-sized electric SUV for Mazda.

Beyond 2025, Mazda will rely on a new rear-drive/all-wheel-drive EV platform to develop vehicles of various sizes and body types. Called Skyactiv Multi-Solution EV Scalable Architecture, the platform will support the introduction of several other Mazdas through 2030.

With that roadmap in mind, Mazda notes that it assumes 100 percent of its products will have some level of electrification and that EVs will make up 25 percent of its overall vehicle lineup by 2030. In conjunction with that growth, Mazda is working to improve its software and technology capabilities to support customers and vehicles. The company is partnering with five Japanese car companies to develop communication devices and bolster its over-the-air (OTA) update capabilities, enabling it to add features and improve vehicle operations over time.

The automaker also announced plans for a suite of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) under the name Mazda Co-Pilot. An automatic emergency stop assistance system is among the available technologies in the Mazda Co-Pilot collection. It monitors a driver’s condition and can detect sudden physical changes, such as when a medical emergency takes place. If Mazda Co-Pilot detects such an event, the vehicle will switch to autonomous driving, bring itself to a stop in a safe place, and place an emergency call to summon help. Mazda will begin introducing Co-Pilot 1.0 in its vehicles starting in 2022. 

Mazda’s plans are ambitious, especially for an automaker with no hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric vehicles currently on sale in the United States. The 2022 Mazda MX-30 will become the brand’s first EV and PHEV, and it should arrive in early 2022.

Mazda is the source of information for this article. It was accurate on June 17, 2021, but it may have changed since that date.