Mazda CX-60 will be first plug-in hybrid; deliveries begin this summer

TOKYO – Mazda pulled the wraps on the upcoming CX-60 crossover, the brand’s first plug-in hybrid that will be part of a new series of crossovers based on a large-size vehicle platform.

The Hiroshima-based automaker plans to introduce the CX-60 in Europe and Japan. It will be the lead-off model for a line of four crossovers built on a newly developed architecture for large vehicles that can accommodate inline 6-cylinder engines and rear-wheel drive setups.

Two of those vehicles, the CX-70 and CX-90, are expected to land in the United States. All the vehicles, to be made at Mazda’s Hofu plant in Japan, will be introduced by the end of 2023.

Mazda, teasing the European-spec CX-60 Tuesday in Europe and in Japan on Wednesday, said it will be equipped with an e-Skyactiv PHEV drivetrain that marries a 2.5-liter in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine to an electric motor.

Mazda describes it as a two-row midsize crossover good for everyday driving and long-distance highway touring.

European deliveries are expected to begin in the summer.

Photos of the CX-60 show exterior styling in line with the brand’s Kodo design language, updated to include a stylized brake-vent motif behind the front wheel.  The upscale, understated interior features an elongated horizontal dash with a large display screen sticking up in the middle.

In announcing the fleet of new nameplates last fall, Mazda said the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 will have two body types with two seating arrangements: two rows and three rows.

• The CX-60 will have two rows, aiming at Europe and Japan
• The CX-70 will have two rows and a wide body, targeting North America
• The CX-80 will have three rows, focusing on Europe and Japan
• The CX-90 will have three rows and a wide body, also for North America

The large crossovers will also offer a range of electrification.

The North American market will get turbo-charged, straight-six gasoline engine models and plug-in hybrids.

Europe will get plug-in hybrids mated to an inline four-cylinder gasoline engine. There, a new inline six-cylinder Skyactiv-X gasoline and Skyactiv-D diesel engine will also get a 48-volt mild hybrid system.

Japan will get a straight-six diesel mild hybrid system and plug-in hybrids.

Mazda just upgraded its Hofu H2 plant in Japan to make vehicles on the new large platform.

Mazda wants EVs to account for a quarter of its global sales by 2030. And by that time, the rest of Mazda's production portfolio will also employ some other form of drivetrain electrification, from mild hybrid to plug-in hybrid technology.