The first examples of the all-new Mazda CX-60 SUV have arrived here in Australia ahead of a lengthy local testing program kicking off this month. The new model will go on sale in Australia later in 2023.
Two pre-production CX-60s made their way to Australia and will be subject to a six-month testing and development program spanning 30,000km. Mazda says the local tests will “measure key data in a series of high- and low-load scenarios”. Highlight areas include powertrain stress-testing, towing, quality, and real-world driving range and other performance-related analysis.
Mazda has confirmed the entry-level CX-60 will come powered by a naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol which will be joined by a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid variant. Petrol and diesel inline-six engines will also be offered, although market availability is yet to be confirmed.
Mazda’s initial timeline for the CX-60’s Australian launch touched on a late 2022 release, however, if the first pre-production units are only just arriving for a six-month test now, a 2023 release seems the most likely. Mazda Australia’s managing director, Vinesh Bhindi, said:
“We are fully invested in ensuring our ground-breaking SUV will also masterfully deliver on the specific needs of our Australian customers. Our engineering team will consistently push the cars to their extremes, and these strenuous evaluations are a vital step in our absolute commitment to customer experience and continuous brand improvement.”
Mazda says that pricing and specifications for the Mazda CX-60 range will be confirmed closer to its official Australian launch, which looks set for some time in 2023. The new model will sit above the CX-5 as a more premium SUV package that rides on the company’s latest large longitudinal-engine-layout platform that will also underpin future CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 models.
