One more teaser of the Mazda CX-60 PHEV has been released. This time, we get a glimpse of the crossover’sinterior, which looks like an evolution of what you find in the CX-5 and the upcoming CX-50. As before, it doubles down on taking inspiration from Japanese culture and heritage. Mazda says that it used the concept of Kaicho or the harmony of mixing materials and textures for the interior. In this case, it uses a combination of maple wood trim, Nappa leather, chrome, and Japanese textiles. The dash panel stitchings are inspired by Musubu, the traditional method of binding fabric in Japan.
A video showing the Mazda CX-60 PHEV’s interior was also included and it appears the brand will be offering the crossover with two-tone combinations. This one appears to be white and black combined with light-colored wood trim, which should result in an open feel. The dash layout looks similar to the CX-50 but there appear to be differences in the shape of the air vents. Unlike in its previous vehicles, Mazda appears to be making more liberal use of wood and metal trim on the door panels in this vehicle to further hint at its move upmarket.
The CX-60 is the first of several new vehicles coming from Mazda after a few years of quietness and will initiate the brand’s move toward electrification. This is also the first of four vehicles on the new rear-drive-based large car platform. Even-numbered models like the CX-60 and three-row CX-80 are specifically developed for markets like Europe and Japan. Odd-numbered vehicles like the CX-70 and CX-90 will be for North America.
The CX-60 and CX-70 will likely share the 300-hp plug-in hybrid system that will debut in the former first. It’s based on a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and will likely be a parallel setup where the electric motor is sandwiched between the engine and Mazda’s new eight-speed automatic transmission. The lithium-ion battery should be mounted under the floor to keep the center of gravity as low as possible and provide plenty of all-electric range.
Following the four-cylinder-based plug-in hybrid system will be a more powerful unit that uses an inline-six as its basis. This could find its way into the larger crossovers on the RWD-based architecture like the upcoming CX-90. That model will compete with the Kia Sorento PHEV and the upcoming Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, making it the third three-row plug-in hybrid mainstream crossover in North America. However, it will be much larger than the Sorento and Outlander since the CX-90 is reportedly closer in size to vehicles like the Kia Telluride and Honda Pilot.
In North America, the CX-70 and CX-90 will be among the first Mazda vehicles to offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Slotting below that will be the CX-50 Hybrid but that will use a conventional setup that you don’t need to charge since its battery is significantly smaller. It will also employ a Toyota-based hybrid system, likely the same one found in the RAV4 and Venza. That means it could have around 219 to 245 hp depending on whether Mazda decides to pluck the more powerful electric motors used on the larger Highlander and Sienna. At the entry-level end will be the MX-30 PHEV, a series hybrid that only uses the electric motor for motivation. This will utilize a rotary engine as a generator to extend the car’s range beyond the battery-electric version’s 100-mile rating. In the U.S., expect the CX-50 Hybrid and MX-30 PHEV to arrive first; however, the latter’s entry into the market appears to be in question as Mazda hasn’t said much regarding it.
