The Hotly-Anticipated Mazda That Just Isn’t Delivering

Mazda’s most recent press release noted that despite selling 6,040 CX-30s last July, its top sales report for the vehicle, Mazda North America only sold 23,393 cars in the same period, a decrease of 28.5% compared to July 2021. If you look closer at the numbers, Mazda only sold eight units of the MX-30 last July, and only 324 units left the factory in the first six months of 2022. We think we know why this is so.

First, the Mazda MX-30 has a 35.5 kWh battery that only achieves an EPA-estimated 100 miles of range, which is not a lot considering its $34,695 base price (per Car and Driver). Equipped with a modest 143-horsepower front-mounted electric motor, the MX-30 doesn’t feel as quick or eager as offerings from domestic makers like the Ford Mustang Mach-E or Chevy Bolt.

On the charging side, the MX-30 supports up to 50 kW DC fast charging, enough to replenish the batteries from 0 to 80% in about half an hour. It’s good enough, but it pales compared to other EVs that support a minimum of 150 kW of DC fast charging. The saving grace is the standard 6.6 kW onboard charger that could re-juice the batteries from 20% to 80% in about three hours using a 240-volt Level 2 power source.