
Plucky Mazda now hopes that between 60 and 75 percent of its global vehicle sales will feature some version of its new hybrid powertrains by the end of the decade. To get there, the Japanese automaker has announced plans to sell more large plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUVs and even borrow a more traditional hybrid setup from Toyota, all while it works toward its own new hybrid setup that could utilize the brand’s trademark rotary combustion engines that are now back in development. Here’s what we expect from Mazda as it shifts to hybrids in the next few years, and what might be worth waiting for.
Mazda’s State of the Hybrid 2024
In the U.S. and Japan, where Mazda has recently launched large CX-90 and comparable CX-80 PHEV SUVs respectively, Mazda’s electrified sales mix is only at 22 percent for each market, which is really not good when compared to the work its done Europe, where the mix is up to 85 percent (however, through April 2024, Europe accounts for just 15 percent of global sales; the U.S. accounts for around 32 percent, and Japan comes in at about 12 percent of sales). Ideally, the bigger markets will gain a more electrified sales mix soon.

Fixing Mazda’s U.S. Hybrid Mix
To fix this issue with the U.S. sales mix quickly, the automaker has introduced a new middling hybrid trim to its popular 2025 Mazda CX-50 SUV lineup, which actually borrows key components from a competitor, one version of the Toyota Hybrid System found in a comparable hybrid Toyota RAV4 SUV. This new-to-Mazda setup features a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine paired with a battery unit and three small electric motors that power all four wheels. Tech combined, it all generates an honest 219 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque in both competing SUV applications from Mazda and Toyota.
New Mazda Hybrid System Coming Soon
But that won’t be enough to improve the sales mix to Mazda’s satisfaction, so there’s more in development from within the automaker itself this time. According to Automotive News, Mazda’s R&D executive officer Naohito Saga claims the brand “needs an electrified offering that slots between the relatively low-power 48-volt system and the robust plug-in hybrid.” This system would likely get a bigger battery than Toyota’s current hybrid system used by Mazda, but would not need to be plugged in to recharge like Mazda’s current PHEV SUV offerings for reduced cost and simplicity for the owner.

Backing Down From Rotary Engines … Again
Saga also told AutoNews that the new hybrid powertrain setups would get traditional gas engines, or could utilize any of the brand’s two in-development rotary units: “An inline-four or inline-six is also in the range of possibilities; it’s not just the rotary,” he said, seemingly beginning to have the brand back down from its rotary ambitions that have been heavily promised so far.
Mazda’s Moving Targets
We’ll see the new hybrid CX-50 this fall in the U.S., as the CX-80 PHEV begins sales in Japan and Europe. But to fully get to at least a 60 percent electrified sales mix in just five years will take more new product, so we anticipate seeing this new Mazda hybrid system in new models, likely SUVs, by around 2028. Mazda also has to solve the problem of the next-gen Miata—does it go hybrid, full EV, or stick to gas for one more round? By now, something concrete must be part of the plan, so stay tuned for that, as well.