Mazda expands SUV offerings with more electrification

Friday, 8 October 2021

Mazda has detailed its new SUV line-up, consisting of four new models to be released here over the next two years.

The new kids on the block consist of the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90, all based on the new rear-drive Large Product Group architecture. There is also the US-only CX-50, which occupies the same spot as the CX-3 and CX-30 do here.

Starting from the bottom, the CX-60 will be a two-row SUV that could come in a narrower-than-usual form. Details are still murky, but Mazda specifies “narrower roads and smaller parking lots” as places the CX-60 will be happy.

Mazda will refresh its entire SUV line-up by 2023 with new, electrified options, including a rotary range-extender version of the MX-30.

Meanwhile, the CX-70 will offer the same seating arrangement but with a wider body for more interior room.

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There will be plug-in hybrids to go along with the straight-six engines.

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Moving up ten digits, the CX-80 expands seating to three rows, while keeping the same body shape as the CX-60. Finally, the CX-90 gets three rows and the wider body.

All will get some degree of electrification. Most markets will get plug-in hybrid models using an inline-four petrol engine, as well as the new straight-six engines will be paired with 48-volt mild hybrid systems. The sixes will come in diesel and petrol flavours.

Power for the new six-cylinder engines is expected to sit somewhere between 210kW/600Nm and 285kW/500Nm. This is yet to be confirmed, however.

At the moment, it’s unclear what powertrains New Zealand models will get, but a plug-in hybrid option for at least one of the new SUVs is a good bet.

The new SUVs will launch between 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile, the current CX-5 is due for an update, consisting of a fresh design and extra safety and connectivity features. The updated CX-5 will launch in New Zealand next year.

As for the even more electrified side of things, Mazda promises the long-rumoured rotary range extender will be introduced on the MX-30 from the first half of 2022.

In addition, a new electric-only product line will come around 2025. All Mazda models will then be electrified before 2030.