You’ll have to wait even longer for a Mazda EV now that the automaker is shifting its focus to hybrids

• Mazda has delayed its next EV by about two years, and now the model isn’t expected until 2029. Automotive News reports, citing Japanese media.
• The automaker had originally planned for 25 to 40 percent of its global sales to be electric vehicles by 2030, but has adjusted its plans in light of an uncertain EV market in the US.
• Mazda will instead focus on hybrids, preparing its own four-cylinder hybrid lineup that it will deploy in its best-seller, the CX-5 SUV, in 2027.

Mazda’s first foray into electric vehicles in the United States was short-lived, with the little MX-30 lasting just two model years. Despite a stylish exterior and interior design, the MX-30 was hampered by a small 30 kWh battery pack that delivered a range of just 100 miles. A cramped backseat and limiting sales to California didn’t help either. While Mazda is working on a new, more competitive EV, a new report suggests we’ll have to wait a while before this electric Mazda arrives.

The Mazda EV was originally expected to launch in 2027, but according to Japanese media, the Mazda EV will now be launched in 2029 at the earliest. Automotive News. We’ve reached out to Mazda for comment on this report and will update the story as soon as we hear back.

The EV, which has been spotted testing with an SUV body, is said to be built in Japan. The production delay was likely influenced in part by the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported vehicles and the elimination of the federal electric vehicle tax credit, which decimated electric vehicle sales in late 2025.

Mazda once said it aims for electric vehicle sales to account for 25 to 40 percent of global volume by 2030, but Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro recently said Automotive News that this would likely be less than 25 percent after shifts in U.S. regulatory policy. Moro said, “I still want to maintain the timing from the point of view of technology development,” but he admitted that “the implementation may be changed.”

In the meantime, Mazda will focus on hybrids. The automaker already offers a few hybrid models in the US, with the CX-50 Hybrid using a system borrowed from Toyota, and the CX-70 and CX-90 both offering a plug-in hybrid setup. But Mazda is also working on a new hybrid system that will fit its best-seller, the CX-5, for the 2027 model year, and it could ultimately be a game changer for the brand.

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Caleb Miller started blogging about cars at the age of 13, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and driver team. He enjoys quirky and obscure cars, with a goal of one day owning something as bizarre as a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsport fan.