The Mazda MX-30 promised to preview the EV future that Mazda is aiming to achieve with its vehicle lineup. But while the small CUV was stylish and offered an impressive array of sustainability in its interior, the EV’s paltry 100 miles of range between charges was arguably its biggest weakness and limited it to the California market. But Mazda is hoping that the all-new Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV will not only silence all the critics but also finally allow the MX-30 to blossom to its full potential.

MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV IS Europe Only For Now, But U.S. Is Next

Rumors had swirled for years that Mazda would bring back the rotary engine in some shape or form, and the MX-30 would be the very first model to use it again. While it is not the high-revving performance screamer it used to be in RX models, the engine here will serve a very different role. It will instead be utilized as an onboard generator to help supply power back to the battery.

A 167 hp electric motor will continue to power the front wheels, and while the rotary will not be involved in powering the wheels, it will be powering a small generator that helps bump the total range to 373 miles. That’s a noticeable improvement over the MX-30 EV, and the engine benefits from a 50-liter fuel tank with an underbody mounted 17.8 kWh battery pack powering the electric motor.

Despite this, Mazda claims that it still expects most buyers to use it mainly as an EV, with this model getting 53 miles of range in purely electric driving. All of this efficiency does come at the cost of performance, with the R-EV needing 9.1 seconds to make the sprint to 60 mph, and the top speed is capped at 87 mph.

The exterior styling is largely carried over from the EV version, but Mazda designers made minor tweaks with all-new rotary-shaped badging, E-Skyactiv R badging on the rear tailgate, and unique wheels. The range-topping Edition R model gets a red-hued roof, a blacked-out body, and logos on the headrests.

The model will initially start as a Europe-only offering, but Mazda has said that the model will eventually be coming to the U.S.. However, the company stopped short of revealing an exact timetable for this. The appearance of the R-EV is not the first time that Mazda has put a gasoline engine into the MX-30. Before this, Mazda had sold the model in some markets with a 2.0-liter hybrid equipped four-cylinder.