Mazda has never been particularly interested in following the automotive herd. While much of the industry has spent the last few years rushing toward an electric future, the Hiroshima-based automaker is perfectly happy doing things its own way. And it apparently has a name for that approach: being a “rebel with a cause.”

That cause is keeping the internal combustion engine alive for as long as it makes sense. Speaking with Car Magazine, Mazda Europe’s Project Manager for Product Planning and Co-Creation, Moritz Oswald, made it clear the company isn't about to abandon gasoline and diesel engines just because EVs are getting more attention: “Part of our strategy is that we want the right engine for the right customer.”

That means Mazda will continue investing in what it calls a multi-solution approach to electrification rather than betting everything on batteries. As Oswald put it, “We will not kill the combustion engine tomorrow.” And Mazda doesn't think that would make much sense anyway. “Combustion engines are still, globally, super relevant,” pointing to markets such as the United States and Japan, where EV adoption remains relatively low compared with Europe.

It's a refreshingly blunt position in an industry that spent years making increasingly ambitious promises about going electric. Mazda isn't saying EVs don't have a future. Instead, it's arguing that the world isn't a single market with identical needs, charging infrastructure, electricity mixes, or customer preferences. In other words, why force everyone into the same solution?

BMW and Toyota have taken a similar approach, keeping their options open instead of putting all their proverbial eggs into the EV basket.

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