Mazda Europe CEO Martijn ten Brink aims to beat the brand's sales forecast for the 2023-24 fiscal year by more than 10 percent, reaching in a volume of 200,000 units.

Mazda plans to invest $11 billion to electrify its product range by 2030. One example of that transition is the adaptation of the Japanese automaker's renown the rotary engine for the electrification age, showcased by last month's debut of the Europe-focused MX-30 plug-in hybrid. Mazda Europe CEO Martijn ten Brink explained why his division will play a leading role in the company's EV shift during an interview with Automotive News Europe Correspondent Andrea Malan at the recent Brussels auto show.

Mazda's new midterm plan calls for it to accelerate its move toward electrified powertrain for the entire product range. Has the company set a date for when it will stop selling combustion cars in Europe?

We have the same date as all brands: 2035 [which is the year when the EU's sales ban for cars with internal combustion engines is set to take effect]. I think the journey until then should be relatively flexible from our side, adopting a curve that reached that 100 percent goal by 2035.

Name: Martijn ten Brink Title: Mazda Europe CEO Age: 49 Main challenge: Helping Mazda capitalize on Europe's transition to EVs without hurting sales of the brand's diesels and revamped rotary engines.

How close do you expect to be by 2030?

We could be anywhere between 40 percent and 70 percent battery electric in 2030. I don't want to be more specific because there is so much volatility in the market. It difficult enough to predict the next 18 months. We will create the flexibility needed to reach the percentage of total sales, but ultimately the market will make the final decision.

Why is Mazda Europe's 40 to 70 percent range for battery-electric vehicles sales in 2030 higher than the goal target of 25 to 40 percent set by Mazda Corp?

That is because Europe clearly is a front-runner for electrification.

Your only BEV in Europe is the MX-30. How many will you sell this year?

I think it will be about 10,000. The MX-30 has found its place in the market, which is a bit of a niche position in the segment. When it comes to vehicles with a plug, I think that including the CX-60 and MX-30 R-EV plug-in hybrids, we will sell around 50,000.

Mazda Europe expects to sell up to 20,000 units of the new MX-30 plug-in hybrid during its next fiscal year.

How many of those will be the MX-30 R-EV plug-in hybrid?

Looking at the 2022 figures, Mazda's sales in Europe declined more than the overall market. Was that because of the chip shortage?

Not entirely. We have had a serious challenge on several of the car lines to get the number of vehicles that we wanted to have. This has been related to optimizing the supply chain, but it's not just the chips. It's also about getting the logistics sorted. Our order bank going into 2023 was one of the highest we have ever had, which I am proud of. On the other hand, it means we haven't been able to deliver the number of cars to customer that we would have wanted.

Was the problem due to shipping the cars from Japan?

Both from Japan and also the shipping capacity at the different ports in Europe.

Could you quantify the size of your order book?

It varies very much by country and model line, so I can't give a precise figure. What I know is that the first quarter is done, and I think there is another one or two months in addition to that, so it's almost half a year.

What is your forecast for Mazda's European sales in 2023?

For the fiscal year ending in March, we think we will finish at 168,000 units sold. For the next fiscal year [April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024], we officially forecast 180,000 units, although I'm keen to push it to the 200,000 mark, which is really what I think we should be able to do.

When will the next new Mazda BEV come to Europe?

The multi-solution platform, which is used on MX-30, could go into new BEVs, but we have not announced any details yet. What we have confirmed is that by the end of 2025 we will have launched a new BEV underpinned by Mazda's scalable electric platform, which we developed with several partners. They are assisting with things such as the motor inverter technology and battery technology.

Will the CX-80 large SUV debut this year?

Yes, we will see it by year end.

On the smaller end of the range, CX-3 sales were down 73 percent in 2022. Is that model being discontinued in Europe?

Yes, that is being discontinued. Mazda has already stopped production for Europe. There remaining stock is limited.

What will Mazda's top-seller in in Europe this year?

The CX-5, as it was last year. This is based on the current order bank. In addition, we just introduced a gasoline mild-hybrid version.

Last month at the Brussels auto show Mazda launched the MX-30 R-EV plug-in hybrid with a gasoline-powered rotary engine designed to charge a small battery. You have hinted at some additional uses for the rotary engine in other products. Could you elaborate?

As you develop a technology for one purpose, you discover that maybe this is an interesting power generator for other purposes. So, Mazda is open to working with other companies that need something small – it has the dimensions of a shoebox – but can still continuously delivers X kilowatts of power. The current energy crisis in Europe has resulted in record sales for generators. There are no specific plans to create this kind of generator, but there are lots of thoughts about how we could do something like that.

Will you use this kind of generator in other Mazda plug-in hybrid?

We could. Because of Mazda's bundled planning and bundled manufacturing, the Mazda, CX-30 and MX-30 share the same platform. Therefore, you could exchange the among the models. Those decisions will depend on the answers to questions such as: Will this appeal to a unique target customer? How do we grow this? Where do we take it from here?

Where will the MX-30 plug-in hybrid be sold?

We have announced it will come to Europe and Japan. Other regions of the world have not announced their plans for the car. They will decide based on which technologies are suitable for their markets from a legislative and financial perspective.

Does Mazda plan to switch to the agency sales model at its dealerships in Europe?

No. Not at this time. And while I'm not saying it will never happen, if I look at Mazda's current business model, it works. Our relationship with our dealer network is a very strong. We are loyal to our dealers. When we have asked for them to make investments this has always been done in a careful and moderate way to make sure they continue to make money. I cannot imagine making that move now. I wouldn't see the benefit, apart from the fact that as a manufacturer you might be able to dictate price.

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