Mazda, the Japanese automotive manufacturer, said it will build a module pack plant for cylindrical lithium-ion batteries for automotive use. The factory will be located in Iwakuni City, southwest of Hiroshima. The cylindrical cells will be procured from Panasonic Energy Co.
The annual production capacity is planned to be 10GWh. The total investment is ¥83.3 billion ($532 million). The completed battery packs will be installed in Mazda’s first battery EV that uses a dedicated EV platform and is manufactured at Mazda’s vehicle plant in Japan. The new battery packs are scheduled to be introduced from 2027.
Both Mazda and its technology partner and minority stakeholder, Toyota, have been reluctant to enter the EV market with 100% battery-powered vehicles and have instead focused on plug-in and other hybrid solutions.
In 2024 Mazda received a special award for its e-SKYACTIV R-EV, a series-type plug-in hybrid system that uses a rotary engine as a generator. Mazda claims to be the only company in the world to have succeeded in mass-producing this.
But Mazda said that since September 2024, when the plan to expand battery production and technology development was certified by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the direction has changed.
Masahiro Moro, president and CEO of Mazda, said: “Mazda will make the most of the highly efficient, high performance, and safe batteries supplied by Panasonic Energy, and deliver distinctive Mazda BEVs to our customers that perfectly balance design, convenience, and driving range.”
Kazuo Tadanobu, president and CEO of Panasonic Energy, said the collaboration will boost the competitiveness of Japan’s battery industry.
