Following the recent start of production of the 2022 Corolla Cross at the new Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) joint venture plant in Alabama, Mazda has confirmed the product it will build there from January.
The automaker announced plans to expand its SUV lineup starting from 2022 and new models will include the CX-50 to be produced in the new US plant, as well as new ‘large product group’ models called CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90, all of which are slated for introduction between 2022 and 2023.
The CX-50 is a crossover SUV that will be added as a new core model to the lineup and be introduced in the US “where a strong SUV presence as well as off-road performance are in high demand”.
This model belongs to the ‘small product group like the 3 and CX-30.
Priced above the CX-50 and currently available CX-5, the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90, will offer two body types with two seating arrangements: two rows and three rows.
Markets with narrower roads and smaller parking lots such as Europe and Japan, will get the two-row CX-60 and three-row CX-80.
The CX-70 and CX-90 will be sold in North America and other markets “where larger models with a big presence are preferred”. Both models have the wide body with the CX-70 having two rows of seats and the CX-90 three.
These large product group models will offer a variety of choices of electrified powertrains to respond to each country’s electrification roadmap. The European market, where electrification is already in full swing, will primarily see the introduction of plug in hybrid models with I4 petrol engines combined with a motor drive. The new generation I6 Skyactiv-X petrol engine and Skyactiv-D diesel engine will also be introduced in combination with a 48V mild hybrid system. The aim is both high output and high environmental performance.
In North America where high power performance is valued, Mazda will introduce both turbo-charged I6 petrol engine models and plug-in hybrid models.
Due to the enduring popularity of diesel engines in Japan, a straight-six Skyactiv-D diesel model with a 48V mild hybrid system and plug-in hybrid models will be introduced there.
Mazda will also promote its first mass-production EV, the MX-30 (criticised for its short range), and introduce models which incorporate multiple electrification technologies that use a rotary engine as a generator from the first half of 2022.
It will also introduce a product line on an EV-dedicated platform from around 2025.
Through the introduction of these models, Mazda plans to complete the electrification of all the models it produces by 2030.
The CX-5, popular worldwide since its launch in 2012, “will see its design evolve and its model lineup enhanced through continuous product improvement. Furthermore, introducing the latest safety technologies and connectivity features, we will increase the appeal of the vehicle and give it the space to continue growing as part of our crossover SUV lineup”, Mazda said.