SUV line-up to expand
Mazda Motor Corporation has announced plans to expand its SUV line-up starting from 2022.
The new models will include the CX-50 to be produced at its new plant in the US, as well as those in its large product group.
The latter include the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90, all of which are planned for introduction between 2022 and 2023.
Mazda is aiming to offer a diverse choice of SUVs “able to provide driving pleasure and latest environmental performance to meet demands in the continuously growing global SUV segment”.
The CX-50 crossover will be added as a new core model to the line-up and will be introduced in the US where a strong SUV presence as well as off-road performance are in high demand.
This model belongs to the small product group like the Mazda3 and CX-30. The production of the CX-50 will begin in January 2022 at the new Mazda-Toyota joint-venture factory in Alabama.
Offering a variety of powertrain options, models from the large product group – 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 will be target markets for the two-row seat CX-60 and 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. These models will expand Mazda’s mid-size crossover SUV line-up.
New Zealand will get the two row-seat CX-60, wide body and two-row seat CX-70, three-row seat CX-80, and wide body and two-row seat CX-90. Pictured is the new CX-5, which will have its Kiwi launch in 2022.
Models in the large product group will offer a variety of choices of electrified powertrains to respond to each country’s electrification roadmap.
The European market, where electrification is in full swing, will primarily see the introduction of plug-in hybrids with straight-four petrol engines combined with a motor drive.
The straight-six new generation Skyactiv-X petrol and Skyactiv-D diesel engines will also be introduced in combination with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system – the aim being to achieve high output and environmental performance.
In North America, where Mazda says high-power performance is valued, the marque will introduce both turbo-charged straight-six petrol engine models and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) to meet customer requirements and respond to environmental regulations.
Due to the popularity of diesel engines in Japan and other markets, a straight-six Skyactiv-D diesel with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system and PHEVs will also be introduced to the line-up.
In parallel to all this, Mazda will carry out sales promotion activities for its first mass-production EV, the MX-30, and introduce models that incorporate multiple electrification technologies that use a rotary engine as a generator from the first half of 2022.
The marque will also 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 models it produces by 2030.
In the meantime, the 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.
