The cars is priced from $74,990 so it qualifies for the full $8625 clean car rebate

Mazda New Zealand is preparing for extra attention as its first-ever all-electric car, the MX-30, officially goes on sale.

The brand brought in a number of the electric crossovers a couple of months ago to display in selected dealerships. 

Even before the Government rebate, Mazda had a lot of pre-launch interest but now even more people are keen to check out the Japanese EV. 

Mazda NZ Managing Director, David Hodge, said pre-launch enquiries and registrations of interest from people wanting to book a test drive or further information was significantly higher than expected.

“The recent Government announcement regarding subsidies for electric vehicle buyers, which the MX-30 qualifies for, along with people in urban areas looking for a vehicle that suits their lifestyle and core values, are key reasons for the strong interest,” he said.

The MX-30 Takami EV has a RRP of $74,990 so it qualifies for the full $8625 clean car rebate. And for a limited time includes a fast charge AC Wallbox Pulsar Plus charger (valued at $2000) for early adopters (or should that be ‘adapters’?). 

Maximum driving range is rated at 200km on the typically conservative WLTP cycle used in Europe. Mazda NZ says that a smaller batter (hence smaller milage) produces less Co2 to manufacture plus “you need to take breaks when driving long distances” so charging the MXZ-30 for a road trip counts as a rest.

With a 50kW DC charger, a 20 to 80 per cent charge can reportedly be completed in just 36 minutes. However, employing a 6.6kW AC wallbox to cover the same charge will take three hours, while on a 240-volt household wall socket, it will take approximately nine hours.

Infotainment comes via an 8.8-inch central display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and satellite navigation. Audio is fed through a 12-speaker Bose sound system.

It has a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, adaptive LED headlights, advanced keyless entry, push-button start, a 7.0-inch driver display, front and rear parking sensors, and heated mirrors and steering wheel.

In the safety department, the MX-30 Electric features 10 airbags and a five-star ANCAP rating, alongside a wide array of active safety tech including autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention monitoring, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go.

The Mazda MX-30 is difficult to define; at 4.4metres long it’s the size of a compact SUV but it has more of a coupe-style SUV. Can we agree on a coupe crossover, maybe?  

The styling of MX-30 actually comes under the brand’s Under the Car-as-Art ethos, an expansion of Mazda's “Kodo—Soul of Motion” design language. 

Spaces in and around the centre console give the cabin an open feel, and environmentally conscious materials such as cork and fabrics made from recycled materials are used in ways that bring out their natural appeal, creating a comfortable interior space.

In addition, the MX-30 adopts “freestyle doors” (ie smaller centre-opening double doors) similar to the BMW i3 or the Mazda RX-8 coupe of the mid-2000s.

Although Mazda says “customers can invent new and creative ways of using the car” it instead means that the vehicle is suited to two-people and the occasional rear passengers as the driver or front passenger have to exit their door, to open the two rear doors.

Mazda engineers were determined to deliver the same Jinba-ittai driving joy that every Mazda offers in the EV as well. The model adopts Mazda's new electric-drive technology, e–Skyactiv, and combines outstanding response with smooth dynamic behavior to achieve performance that drivers can enjoy naturally.

“In any era, Mazda wants people to experience exuberant moments in life through cars,” said Akira Marumoto, Mazda's Representative Director, at the global launch of the vehicle.

“We will continue striving to deliver creative products and technologies so our customers will love and hold onto their Mazda for a long time.”

AutoMuse had the MX-30 for two days, where we drove it around the city, on the motorway, and then rural roads to Parihoa for our sunset photoshoot.

I also charged it a ChargeNet station that’s part of Hobsonville Point New World, and after a 20-minute shop for dinner ingredients, the MX-30 was topped up to 80 percent.

The MX-30 has a low-slung 310kg battery, with a 1645kg kerb weight and a single-speed transmission, and while it doesn’t offer the driving pizzaz of Mazda CX-3, it’s not as clunky as other EVs.

It’s still a decent thing to drive thanks to Mazda's same torque-vectoring tech and topped up with the electric motor on the front axle. The result is neat, tidy, fuss-free cornering.

For the most part, the MX-30 is a comfortable ride but has the skateboard-like rigidity that small cars with a bank of batteries underneath them exhibit.

There’s also a five-level smart brake regen to choose from via a pair of steering wheel paddles. Set at its strongest and the MX-30 is a one-pedal car for all but reaching a standstill. It’s way more intuitively set up than some rivals, too.

So, who are the Mazda MX-30 all-electric crossover’s customers? Before the Government rebate, I’d have guessed a majority of them would be existing Mazda owners, wanting to have a zero-emissions vehicle.

Now, I’d say the playing field is wide open. Potential buyers of EVs will be looking at the fleet that sits between the $70,000 to $80,000 price bracket. Potential competitors are the Hyundai Kona, Kia Nero and Tesla’s Model 3.

But as an incentive for wannabe EV buyers, for every MX-30 sold, Mazda NZ will purchase five trees from Trees That Count. The native trees funded through this partnership will be planted and cared for by various communities across New Zealand.