This week on Chasing Cars: CX-60 revealed, BYD’s Aussie onslaught and ID Buzz makes EVs cool again

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There are many people I do not wish to be in this world, but the top of the list this week would have to be the staff member at a certain car news outlet who leaked the entire press pack of the Mazda CX-60 – 12 hours ahead of its official reveal.

Giving us every detail from engine outputs to vehicle weights and full equipment specs, this slip up enabled us to bring you a comprehensive understanding of the CX-60 and Mazda’s first attempt at its seismic shift upmarket.

Mazda later revealed the CX-60 in full, and we’ve covered that in detail below, but we also covered news on the Toyota Supra’s inbound manual-transmission option and the average wait time you should expect for a new Kia Sportage, just to name a few.

Away from news, the Chasing Cars office was hard at work bringing you new content like tow tests and a sit-down interview with a huge Chinese car manufacturer who is planning on making a big impression on the Australian market in a few short years, all of which you can read and watch in detail below.

Mazda CX-60 revealed

After much teasing and even more leaks, the CX-60 was fully unveiled on Tuesday night – debuting the first of many premium vehicles on an all-new RWD-biased platform, which Mazda hopes will see this new midsize SUV challenge upmarket rivals like the Audi Q5 and Lexus NX.

In order to drive home that upmarket feel, Mazda has used a plethora of luxury materials like natural wood inlays and Nappa leather upholstery along with more modern technology like a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen that introduces wireless Apple CarPlay to the brand.

Mazda Australia has only confirmed the 2.5-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid for our market so far, but with 241kW of power and 500Nm of torque at its disposal – plus 60km of electric-only driving range – it’s hardly anything to complain about.

Later on, Mazda will add 3.0-litre petrol and 3.3-litre turbo-diesel in-line six-cylinder engines to the CX-60 range – with estimated outputs of 230kW/350Nm and 200kW/600Nm respectively – which we also expect to see in Australia.

We’ve covered the CX-60 extensively, writing separate articles focusing on the estimated pricing, its five-best features, powertrains and the list of highlight features on each grade.

BYD’s Aussie launch plans

EV Direct is the Australian distributor of the global Chinese brand BYD and it’s making some big promises, so we thought it was time to catch up with CEO Luke Todd for a chat.

Mr Todd wasn’t shy about his company’s ambitions, outlining a goal to become a top-five car manufacturer in sales volume by 2024; meaning BYD would join the likes of Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Ford and Kia at the top of the ladder. 

Key to this plan is the launch of eight EVs in Australia – including a suite of SUVs, a $35K hatchback and even a dual-cab ute – with powerhouse factories in China ready to supply up to 18,000 of each model to the Australian and New Zealand markets every year.

The Australian market has never seen such a success before but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. We wish them well, but only time will tell if these ambitions come to fruition.

If you’re curious about the type of vehicles BYD plans to sell in Australia, check out our walkaround video of the Atto 3 small SUV and Atto 2 hatchback.

ID Buzz resurrects the Kombi’s flavour with an electric heart 

Volkswagen revealed the ID Buzz this week which features the same name and similarly quirky looks to the concept we saw in 2018 and we think it’s all the better for it.

Roughly similar in size to the diesel-powered T6.2 van range, the ID Buzz will be sold in five-seat people mover and two-seat van configurations with an estimated electric driving range of around 402km.

Later on, Volkswagen says it will introduce a smaller battery option known as the ID Buzz Pure, followed by a long-wheelbase option in 2023, though we’re most excited for the California-badged camper van in 2024.

It hasn’t yet been confirmed for our market but Volkswagen Australia said it will announce more information on its EV range soon and noted the ID Buzz was “of interest”. 

All the cars and SUVs we reviewed this week:

We decided to mix things up a bit this week and while we published our regular suite of reviews, we also decided to do something a little bit different.

Subaru has made much of the fact that the sixth-generation Outback that we’re running as a long-termer has the ability to tow 2000kg braked, so we tested that claim by hooking up a trailer with my personal Mazda MX-5 on the back before tackling one of Sydney’s busiest, most hilly freeways.

Next up was our GWM ute long-termer, with the Subaru Outback now on the trailer, to see if this cheap-as-chips Chinese ute can handle a circa-2700kg load at highway speeds.

In the review sphere, editor Tom Baker turned his attention to the base-model Porsche Macan to see if the brand’s entry-level vehicle is actually worthy of the Stuttgart brand.

Journalist John Law got his hands on the 128ti hot hatch that aims to fix the flaws of the M135i xDrive by removing two driven wheels and re-engineering the dynamics – but did BMW succeed?

Deputy editor Nathan Ponchard investigated the often overlooked Alfa Romeo Stelvio to explore its charm and surprisingly satisfying driving dynamics.

We also published written reviews of the updated Mazda MX-5, new Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed Tourer and Mercedes-Benz C-Class to really dive into the details on each.

Other car and SUV news we covered this week:

• A report containing confidential information from Toyota dealers dropped this week, suggesting that a six-speed manual will be added to the Supra coupe before the end of 2022.

• Volkswagen has priced the facelifted Tiguan Allspace midsize SUV from $45,590 before on-road costs after a $4600 increase to the price of entry.

• Pricing was also released for the facelifted Volkswagen Polo which will start from $25,250 before on-road costs after the German brand chose not to include an entry-level grade in Australia.

• Renault unveiled the Austral small SUV  that features a hybrid option and takes a huge step forwards in terms of interior design and technology, compared to the Kadjar it replaces.

• Sales of electric vehicles almost doubled their global market share in 2021, rising from 3.1 percent to 6 percent of the overall take-up, in a year when overall car sales were down.

• Wait times on the Kia Sportage are varying between two and six months for most Australian buyers but delays can vary depending on which grade and engine you opt for.

• Sadly if you need a Kia with even more seats, the Carnival will take even longer. Kia Australia said buyers should expect average wait times of up to eight months though opting for the superior diesel will hurry things up.

• The facelifted MG ZS EV will arrive in Australia in July 2022 with a higher starting price of $46,990 driveaway and greater electric range, but sadly the 440km-capable long-range variant won’t be coming here.

• A survey by US company JD Power has crowned Mini as the brand with the most satisfied customers when it comes to servicing, a whole eight places above Toyota.

• What is Nissan’s CMF-EV platform, what is it good at and why should you care? Well, it’s a pretty significant piece of kit that will underpin a suite of future cars – and not just Nissans.