Tom Donnelly, Senior VP Retail Operations at Mazda North America, said not all electric vehicle buyers seek to maximize battery range.
The company’s first all-electric SUV – the MX-30 – was bashed by critic and consumer reviews alike for having a range of around 200 km (125 miles). Later on, the manufacturer updated the model with a serial hybrid powertrain based on a rotary petrol engine. Doing so extended the range to around 600 km (373 miles) with the gas tank full.
Despite this, according to Donnelly, there are two distinct audiences here: some are happy with covering short distances in their EV, while others will prefer range-extender (REX) hybrids as a transitionary stage from ICE cars to full-on electric ones. He did not clarify whether it meant that we should be looking forward for another low-range EV like the MX-30.
