Mazda Australia “happy” with Revised Emissions Regulations

It will be just over a year before carmakers face penalties under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), and one of the system’s harshest initial critics says it is working hard to prepare for the new rules.

Mazda Australia was initially critical of the Australian government’s NVES in its original form, warning of subsequent increases in new car prices while calling for subsidies for more efficient vehicles.

However, the standard was later watered down to include “heavy off-road passenger vehicles” in a “Type 2” category, alongside light trucks, vans and large pickup trucks, with different CO2 limits.

The government’s original preferred option would have resulted in all SUVs being counted in the same category as passenger cars.

Although automakers will be fined $100 per g/km for any vehicle exceeding CO2 emissions targets from July 1, 2025, CO2 limits differ between Type 1 and Type 2 vehicles.

This means that car manufacturers can continue to sell large small cars and SUVs with internal combustion engines, but they will have to compensate for this with more efficient vehicles.

Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak says the brand is waiting for the proposed regulations to be passed by Parliament.

“We’ve always said that we welcome a plan, a solid plan, so that we can actually start preparing and working toward those numbers,” Mr. Doak said in an interview with CarExpert.

“I think the entire industry, including us, was pleased with the revisions announced.

“We are waiting for confirmation that it will actually become law, which is what everyone expects, and from then on we will work as hard as we can to meet the regulation and the expectations that come with it.””

Asked whether the brand’s offering is expected to expand with more hybrids (either mild or plug-in hybrids) to meet emissions standards, Mr Doak said Mazda would look at which cars it could sell here and in which ones Quantities it can reduce the fleet’s CO2 contributions.

“Once we have a plan and direction for the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, we will look at everything that is available to us, whether it makes sense or not, what benefits it brings, what impact it has on costs, etc.” Doak added.

“So we’ll continue to investigate that and see if that means more mild hybrids and plug-in hybrids. We’ll just see what’s available to us and try to do our best.”

Mazda has previously committed to only selling hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia by 2030, with electrified petrol models expected to make up 75 per cent of its offering.

Last year, in addition to the mild hybrid and the fully electric MX-30, the mild hybrid model series 3 with hatchback and sedan and the CX-30 crossover models were also canceled locally.

Currently, the CX-60 is the only model offered with plug-hybrid power, while both the CX-60 and CX-90 have 48V mild hybrid support on their petrol and diesel engines .

MORE: Everything Mazda
MORE: Mazda curbs Australian efficiency standards and demands subsidies
MORE: Here’s what’s in Australia’s new draft vehicle emissions regulation bill
MORE: What Australia’s biggest car brands say about revised emissions standards
MORE: By 2030, Mazda will only sell hybrid and electric cars in Australia