Mazda's new study, entitled “Mazda Driver Project”, as part of the “Drive Together” campaign, and commissioned jointly with Ipsos MORI, approached 11 008 people from the main European markets regarding “hot” questions about the future of the car.
These relate, of course, to electric automobiles and the announced end of internal combustion engines; and on the act of driving, with the emergence of autonomous driving.
We still want internal combustion engines
The conclusions are not without surprise. Average, 58% of respondents are of the opinion that "gasoline and diesel engines will still evolve and improve a lot" . Percentage reaching 65% in Poland and over 60% in Germany, Spain and Sweden.
More interesting is 31% of respondents hope that "diesel cars will continue to exist" — in Poland, again, this figure rises to an impressive 58%.
As for the rise of the electric car and whether or not they would opt for one, 33% of the drivers surveyed even said that if the costs of use were equal to those of an electric car, they would opt for a “gasoline or diesel car” — in Italy this percentage is 54%.
we still want to drive
Autonomous driving has been a strong bet on the part of many car manufacturers and beyond — Waymo and Uber, for example, have been at the forefront in the development of this type of technology. Are we ready to let go of the wheel?According to the Mazda study, it appears not. Only 33% of drivers "welcome the emergence of self-driving cars" . Value that drops to 25% in France and Holland.
Is it a generational issue? According to the Japanese brand, this does not seem to be the case either. Younger Europeans are not very enthusiastic about self-driving vehicles.
Driving is a skill people want to keep in the future — 69% of respondents “hope that future generations will continue to have the option of being able to drive a car” , a percentage that rises from 74% in Poland to more than 70% in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Sweden.
The future at Mazda
The conclusions of this study seem to go against the path outlined by Mazda for the coming years. The “Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030” strategy foresees keeping the internal combustion engines in the spotlight — the brand is already preparing a new generation of thrusters, the SKYACTIV-X — combining them with efficient electrification technologies.
Jeff Guyton, President and CEO of Mazda Motor EuropeThe study results are fascinating. The whole basis of our 'Drive Together' campaign is driving pleasure, and it really seems that European drivers are relying on the internal combustion engine for many years to come. For our part, we are committed to the same goal of making the driving experience even more enriching for motorists around the world.
And when it comes to driving, Mazda is perhaps the brand that has most publicly championed the harmonious link between car and driver — ‘Jinba Ittai’, as they call it. A standalone MX-5? I don't think…