CATL and Changan Mazda have formed a partnership to develop new-energy vehicles (NEVs) utilizing CATL's CIIC skateboard chassis. The collaboration aims to accelerate the electrification transition for Changan Mazda, a joint venture between Chinese Changan Automobile and Japanese carmaker Mazda.
The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Shanghai to produce more efficient and smarter NEV products by leveraging the innovative skateboard chassis technology provided by CATL.
CATL's skateboard chassis facilitates the decoupling of the upper and lower parts of a vehicle, allowing for the parallel development of new models. This modular design includes standardized interfaces and an architecture that decouples software and hardware to support rapid adaptation across different vehicle models. The approach is expected to shorten the vehicle development cycle and enable both companies to respond more quickly to market demand changes.
Both CATL and Changan Mazda plan to further investigate the application of the latest NEV technologies to advance the electrification transition. The CIIC represents CATL's standard skateboard chassis, complemented by its flagship Bedrock Chassis variant, launched in December 2024.
While Mazda has been slow to enter the Chinese NEV market, recent activities suggest a more aggressive approach, including Changan Mazda's introduction of the EZ-6 sedan and the unveiling of the EZ-60 sport utility vehicle, their first new-energy models in battery-electric and extended-range electric vehicle formats.
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