Inside Scoop: Here Are All Of Mazda's Specific Product Plans For The Next Two Years

Forget secrecy and clandestine maneuvering – Mazda is laying it all out on the table. In an October 7, 2021, press release, Mazda reveals a wide array of specific product plans for the brand's global SUV lineup.

There's a lot to unpack here.

First, let's begin by reminding ourselves of Mazda's existing SUV lineup. A pre-pandemic table we compiled in February 2020 breaks down the differences between the CX-3, CX-30, CX-5, and CX-9. To put it simply, the CX-3 is the smallest, the CX-30 is the newest design, the CX-5 is the top seller, and the CX-9 is the flagship. (Keep in mind, Mazda's global portfolio also includes two other utility vehicles: the Chinese-market CX-4 and a a broader Asian-market CX-8 that looks very much like a CX-9 but is actually significantly smaller. Mazda also just released the plug-in/EV MX-30, albeit not yet for PEI.)

But over the course of the next two years, Mazda's global SUV lineup will grow by five models.

CX-50

In a Huntsville, Alabama, factory jointly owned by Mazda and Toyota, the Mazda CX-50 is slated to enter production three months from now in January 2022. Although its name is similar, the CX-50 isn't intended to be a replacement for the supremely popular CX-5. The CX-50 will offer a more rugged presence as North America's appetite for off-road-worthy SUVs expand.

CX-60 & CX-80

The two-row Mazda CX-60 and three-row Mazda CX-80 will be focused on the European and Japanese regions, "markets with narrower roads and smaller parking lots," Mazda says. Mazda also anticipates that the European market will see these vehicles primarily delivered with four-cylinder engines and plug-in hybrids.

CX-70

The new Mazda CX-70 will be a wider body, two-row SUV designed with the North American market in mind, specifically. This vehicle slots above the CX-50 and CX-5 and will include – wait for it – turbocharged straight-six engines and plug-in hybrid offerings.

CX-90

There's not yet a lot of information how the CX-90 fits into this puzzle, but we do know that it will be a three-row SUV like the European/Japanese CX-80, albeit with a wider body more suited to North American tastes. Like the CX-70, expect powertrain options to include a turbocharged six-cylinder engine and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

ENGINES

Mazda's long-rumoured inline-six cylinder engine is a big part of all this news. Mazda makes no excuses for the reasons behind developing a straight six. "High-power performance is valued" in North America, Mazda explains. The inline-six format – as opposed to inline-four cylinder configurations common in Mazdas or the typical V6 and V8 options offered across the automotive spectrum – creates the smoothest possible powertrain.

"When a piston reaches top or bottom dead center, the sudden direction change produces a rocking imbalance at one side of the engine block," Road & Track explains. "In a straight-six, pistons at the front and back of the engine mirror each other’s movement, and these primary forces are negated. So, too, are the secondary forces created by pistons moving faster at the tops of their travel than the bottoms."

It's a complicated time for the global auto industry, but Mazda's plans involve releasing all five of these new SUVs between 2022 and 2023.

Mazda is a rapidly growing force in the Canadian automotive landscape. The brand's market share grew has accelerated throughout the pandemic and now stands at 4%, nearly double what Mazda manages in the United States.