Just when we were finally getting to grips with Mazda’s SUV naming conventions, they are mixing it up again.
Mazda has announced plans to expand their SUV line-up starting from 2022. The new models will include the Mazda CX-50 to be produced in their new U.S. plant, as well as models in the Large Product Group, including the Mazda CX-60, Mazda CX-70, Mazda CX-80 and Mazda CX-90, all of which are planned for introduction over the next two years between 2022 and 2023.
They say the aim is to offer customers a diverse choice of SUVs able to provide both the driving pleasure and the latest environmental performance to meet demands in the continuously growing global SUV segment.
The Mazda CX-50 is a crossover SUV that will be added as a new core model to the line-up and be introduced in the U.S. market, where a strong SUV presence as well as off-road performance are in high demand. This model belongs to the Small Product Group just like the Mazda3 and Mazda CX-30. The production of the CX-50 will begin in January 2022 at the new Mazda-Toyota joint venture factory, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, U.S.A., Inc. (MTMUS), built in Huntsville, Alabama, in the U.S.
Offering a variety of powertrain options, models from the Large Product Group, i.e., the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90 will be available in two body types and either two rows or three rows of seating.
Markets with narrower roads and smaller parking lots such as Europe and Japan, should welcome the introduction of the two-row seat CX-60 and the three-row seat CX-80. Meanwhile, the CX-70 and CX-90 will hit the road in North America and other markets where larger models with a big presence are preferred. Both models feature the wide-body type, with the CX-70 having two rows of seats and the CX-90 having three.
Crossover SUVs to be introduced from 2022 onwards:
Product Group | Models | Major markets to receive the models |
Large | Mazda CX-60 (Two row seat) | Europe, Japan, NZ and other markets |
Product | Mazda CX-70 (Wide body, two row seat) | North America, NZ and other markets |
Group | Mazda CX-80 (Three row seat) | Europe, Japan, NZ and other markets |
Mazda CX-90 (Wide body, three row seat) | North America, NZ and other markets | |
Small Product Group | Mazda CX-50 | USA |
The Large Product Group models will offer a variety of choices of electrified powertrains to respond to each country’s electrification roadmap. The European market, where electrification is already in-full-swing, will primarily see the introduction of plug-in hybrid models with straight-four gasoline engines combined with a motor drive. The straight-six new generation Skyactiv-X gasoline engine and Skyactiv-D diesel engine will also be introduced in combination with a 48V mild hybrid system, the aim being to achieve both high output and high environmental performance, says Mazda.
In North America where high-power performance is valued, they will introduce both turbo-charged straight-six gasoline engine models and plug-in hybrid models to meet customer requirements and respond to environmental regulations. Due to the enduring popularity of diesel engines in Japan and other markets, a straight-six Skyactiv-D diesel model with a 48V mild-hybrid system and plug-in hybrid models will also be introduced to the line-up.
In parallel, they will carry out sales promotion activities for Mazda’s first mass-production EV, the MX-30, and introduce models which incorporate multiple electrification technologies that use a rotary engine as a generator from the first half of 2022. In addition, Mazda will introduce a product line that uses an EV-dedicated platform from around 2025. Through the introduction of these models, Mazda plans to complete the electrification of all the models it produces by 2030.
In the meantime, the Mazda CX-5, which has retained constant popularity since its launch in 2012, will see its design evolve and its model line-up enhanced through continuous product improvement.