Following a teaser released a couple of weeks ago, Mazda is back to preview the CX-60 as the first model belonging to the Large Product Group announced in October 2021. It's not just yet another front-wheel-drive-based crossover, but rather an all-new model built on an RWD platform. In case you still have doubts about the underpinnings, it's written in black and white in the press release: "striking new front-engine, rear-wheel-drive SUV."
The fresh sneak preview is actually about something else. While the first episode of the teaser campaign focused on Mazda's first PHEV powertrain, the CX-60 now shows a bit of its cabin. It would appear the company's interiors will be moving upmarket with the new wave of SUVs, which will include a widebody equivalent US counterpart dubbed CX-70. From this 12-second clip, we're getting a bit of a Volvo vibe.
Gallery: 2023 Mazda CX-60 spy photos
The sophisticated interior combines Japanese textiles and chrome accents with Nappa leather and real maple wood inserts. It's Mazda's first model to implement "Musubu." The Zoom-Zoom company describes it as being "the uniquely Japanese way of binding textiles which was the inspiration for the instrument panel stitching."
All these upmarket materials seem to create a cozy atmosphere we'll get to see in full on March 8 when the CX-60 will break cover. As the above spy shots are showing, the plug-in hybrid SUV will stay true to the Kodo design language, adapted for a RWD-biased architecture. It's going to have (faux) quad exhausts and over 300 horsepower by combining a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with an electric motor.
Should you need a third row, a bigger CX-80 will arrive within the next two years in Europe and is going to be accompanied by a wider CX-90 for North America. All will share the newly developed platform, with some of the models getting inline-six engines in select markets. All four- and six-cylinder units will be electrified to some extent since mild hybrid will be standard. An inline-six diesel is also in the offing, along with smaller four-cylinder PHEV drivetrains.
Meanwhile, Mazda is also expanding its US portfolio with the addition of a CX-50 based on a FWD platform with a Toyota-sourced hybrid setup.
