HIROSHIMA, Japan — Mazda Motor Corp. could start building its first EVs in the U.S. as early as 2026 — but that hinges on a slew of variables, cautions CEO Akira Marumoto.
Primary among them is a successful rollout next year of the new CX-70 and CX-90 crossovers.
Those upmarket, higher-margin products are positioned to help generate the profits that will power the weighty investment needed to lift Mazda into next-generation electrification.
One hitch: Marumoto says a looming economic slump may undermine the plan for a richer product mix that has buttressed Mazda's earnings of late, and its lucrative upmarket shift.