Mazda Australia’s top executive has looked at the country’s record-breaking electric vehicle sales and decided it’s all a bit of a misunderstanding. Vinesh Bhindi, the brand’s local boss, believes the recent surge in EV demand - which saw battery-electric models capture 19.9 percent of new-vehicle sales in May, with the Tesla Model Y outselling the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux - is a temporary reaction to high fuel prices and Middle East supply jitters, not a permanent shift in buyer behavior.

Speaking to Drive, Bhindi argued that once fuel prices ease, EV interest will likely settle back to less explosive levels, though he still expects gradual growth. Fresh orders have already started returning to pre-crisis levels, he noted. In other words, Australians apparently only want electric cars when they’re terrified of paying $3 a litre for petrol.

Mazda is hedging its bets: it’s gearing up to launch the Mazda 6e sedan and CX-6e SUV in Australia - its first fully electric offerings since the MX-30 EV was discontinued in early 2024 - while simultaneously launching the new-generation CX-5 without full electrification. Bhindi pointed to Australia’s charging infrastructure as a limiting factor, saying that even with government perks like the Fringe Benefits Tax exemption, more investment is needed to make EV ownership convenient.

Mazda’s position isn’t that EVs are doomed, but that the recent spike may have been a short-term freakout rather than a paradigm shift. The next few months will reveal whether Australia’s EV boom was a genuine inflection point or just a collective panic attack at the fuel pump.