Mazda CX-60 2022: Australian release locked in for new premium SUV

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Following a successful testing and evaluation phase, the 2022 Mazda CX-60 SUV has been confirmed for an Australian launch in around twelve months’ time.

Set to sit between the popular CX-5 midsize SUV and CX-8 large SUV when it launches in late 2022, the CX-60 will debut Mazda’s new Large Product Architecture in Australia.

Four new crossovers will sit on the brand’s new large platform. The CX-60, which has today been confirmed for Australia, will lead the pack – though its CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 compatriots are all under consideration. All are on the table for an Australian release.

How big is the new CX-60?

Dimensions and specifics are not yet known, but Mazda has confirmed that the 2022 CX-60 is a two-row SUV with a narrow body, targeted mainly at the Japanese and European markets.

For reference, the existing CX-5 and CX-8 models are both narrow body, while the CX-9 is a wide body product.

While the new CX-60 sits on Mazda’s Large Product Architecture, the crossover is expected to take the form of an upper-midsize SUV akin to a Skoda Kodiaq.

It is possible that the CX-60 will take a unique form, with a distinct chance that it could take the form of a coupe SUV.

“The product is a very different to what we currently have in our large SUV lineup,” said Sonia Singh, senior manager of public relations and corporate communications at Mazda Australia.

The other SUVs sitting on the Large Product Architecture are bigger than the CX-60. The CX-70 is a wide body iteration of the vehicle, while the CX-80 and CX-90 are intended as truly large SUVs akin to a CX-9.

CX-60 first to be locked in for Australia

Preliminary work to bring the CX-60 to Australia has already been completed by Mazda.

“I can confirm that work and assessment has already been done on the CX-60, which will arrive in Australia before the end of 2022,” said Singh.

“The CX-5 and CX-8 will continue to live alongside [the CX-60 and] whichever of that product we bring, in the same way as the CX-30 and CX-3 live alongside one another happily but cater to very different audiences.”

The decision to bring the CX-60 to Australia does not rule out the wider but similarly long CX-70, with Mazda comms boss Singh saying narrow and wide bodies can “absolutely” sit alongside one another in harmony – as happens now with the CX-8 and CX-9 large SUVs.

A smaller CX-50 midsize SUV was also confirmed today. To be built in Alabama, USA, the CX-50 will not come to Australia and will instead be focussed on the American market.

CX-60 petrol and diesel engines

Alongside its compatriots on the Large Product Architecture chassis, the CX-60 will usher in a golden decade for Mazda combustion engines before the brand shifts to electrification across the range in 2030.

New inline six-cylinder engines have been developed, with petrol iterations building in Skyactiv-X spark and compression ignition while the diesel configuration will utilise a 48-volt mild hybrid system for high efficiency.

The straight six petrol will be available with optional turbocharging in some markets, while there will also be a plug-in hybrid variant of the straight six. American markets will get both, and all options are on the table for Australia.

European markets will receive four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrains, though these are not expected to be brought to Australia for the time being.

2022 release date for CX-60

The CX-60 will be launched in Australia before the end of 2022, with additional information expected to be released about the local range and specifications in the coming months.

Header render by WapCar.