Mazda's rebellion against EV orthodoxy might actually work
Shane Wilkinson believes Mazda is going against the grain when it comes to cutting emissions, and the results could be very interesting
Love them or loathe them, electric cars are very much part of today’s mainstream. In fact, there are some very good EVs to choose from, and a number of brands have committed themselves to becoming fully electric in the coming years.
However, not all carmakers are willing to give up on combustion. We already know that brands like BMW and Porsche are experimenting with alternative fuels such as synthetics and hydrogen, but Mazda seems to be forging its own unique path.
When I spoke to some of the brand’s top brass at the launch of the new Mazda CX-5 earlier this year, they were adamant that a multi-pronged approach is the best way to go green. The arrival of the Mazda 6e proves that battery electric vehicles are indeed still part of the equation, but (and I’ll be blunt here) this car simply doesn't feel like the firm’s engineers have poured their full effort and passion into it.
The majority of Mazdas (especially the MX-5) feel driver focused and well thought out design-wise, but unfortunately the 6e misses the mark in these crucial areas.
Instead, it would seem that the boffins are investing more of their time into solving the emissions problem in very interesting and unusual new ways. We’ve already seen Mazda chuck a highly unconventional rotary engine into the MX-30 in order to boost its range, and how many other brands increase their combustion cars’ efficiency by making their engines bigger?
It was the 2025 Japan Mobility Show that truly highlighted just how rebellious Mazda is becoming, though, as some of its very latest technology and concept cars made their respective public debuts. One such piece of tech was a carbon-capture system that effectively removes CO2 from an exhaust before it even reaches the outside world. This setup has been fitted to the new Mazda Vision X-Coupe concept car, and the powertrain itself is an equally bizarre twin-rotary plug-in hybrid.
Mazda’s long-term goal is to fit this exhaust filtration system to cars that are running on algae-based e-fuels. The brand even claims that this setup would actually be carbon -negative even with a mere 10 per cent capture rate. A prototype will soon appear in the motorsport world, so time and money is clearly being invested into this experiment.
The arguments between combustion and electric car advocates continue to rage online, but the vast majority of us ultimately have the same goal; to enjoy and use our cars without hurting the planet. If you ask me, it’s these quirky and ingenious innovations that make this such a fascinating time to be a car enthusiast. Whether this sort of tech makes it into production and saves the combustion car or not, you have to respect Mazda for trying.
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