Electric cars are 'not the only solution' ahead of impending petrol and diesel vehicle ban

He explained that a "multi-solution" approach of offering internal combustion vehicles, hybrids and electric vehicles is a suitable solution to reduce harmful emissions.

At present, Mazda offers a number of vehicles with different powertrains, including petrol, diesel, mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric.

The UK Government has confirmed that it will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, while hybrids will remain on sale until 2035, at which point only zero emission vehicles can be sold.

Labour introduced these rules in a bid to slash vehicle emissions and get closer to lofty net zero targets, alongside targeted grants to make EVs more accessible for drivers.

Mazda currently has one electric vehicle that will be launching later this summer. The Mazda6e will have 348 miles of battery range, rapid charging capabilities and a price tag starting from £38,995.

Mr Schultze said the brand was looking into the viability of e-fuels, carbon capture technology and improvements to existing combustion engine technology.

Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: "Mazda are not the forerunner for electrification and that might puzzle some people.

"For us, it's hard to understand from a logic and engineering point of view why the European Union has strictly voted for electrification as the only solution for the future.

"We are following what we call our 'multi-solution' approach as we are not 100 per cent happy with this decision from the EU."

The European Union announced last year that it would be amending the terms of its 2035 petrol and diesel car ban to ensure manufacturers across the continent are protected from outside competition.

From 2035 onwards, carmakers will instead need to comply with a 90 per cent tailpipe emissions reduction target, while the remaining 10 per cent will come from low-carbon steel or e-fuels.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the changes were necessary given rapidly changing technology and geopolitics, clarifying that the EU remained "at the forefront of the global clean transition".

Mr Schultze said Mazda did not want to add more harmful carbon emissions into the atmosphere, stating that the combustion engine was "not the devil in the box".

He added that the internal combustion engine was not the issue, but rather the burning of more fossil fuels was the real problem.

The latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that Mazda has sold 4,133 new vehicles in the first two months of the year.

This makes up 1.76 per cent of the total new market share, while increasing year-on-year sales by a modest 0.63 per cent.

With a solid start to vehicle sales in 2026, Mazda is already outselling the likes of Citroen, Dacia, Fiat, Honda, Polestar and even Tesla.

The Japanese brand recently announced that the Mazda CX-6e would launch later this year in Europe, Australia and other markets.