Mazda Is Considering An Electric CX-60

Mazda makes some of the finest crossovers and SUVs on the market, but it doesn’t have much in the all-electric space. The Mazda MX-30 runs on electricity alone, and it’s the only EV in the Japanese automaker’s lineup by design; Mazda is taking its time with EVs because it realizes that customers currently prefer hybrids. However, when customers start looking for an electric alternative to the CX-70 PHEV, it seems that Mazda will be ready – a Mazda trademark discovered by AutoGuide for the name CX-6e points to an electric version of the Mazda CX-60 (a crossover between the CX-50 and CX-70 that is not sold in America).

Part Of A New Family Of Mazda EVs

While a trademark filing is far from confirmation of a new vehicle, this particular name piques our interest because a similar name for an electric sedan was discovered by the same publication earlier this year: Mazda 6e. Similar names could point to similar underpinnings, indicating that the CX-6e and Mazda 6e could reach the market around the same time. The Mazda 6 still lives in some markets, but it’s a model that was first introduced in 2012, so it’s more than overdue for replacement, and Mazda has already shown us what both EVs could look like.

At the Beijing Motor Show in April, Mazda unveiled the EZ-6 and Arata concepts, and both are intended to reach production. Importantly, neither has been ruled out for the American market, and it’s not a stretch to consider that the EZ-6 will become the 6e and the Arata could influence the CX-6e. Mazda has partnered with Toyota and Subaru on EV technology, so there’s a possibility Mazda’s trademarks are already earmarked for production cars that may share underpinnings with other vehicles.

Arrival Date Could Be Near

Last year, Mazda North America CEO Tom Donnelly confirmed that a new fully electric vehicle would be launched in 2025. While specific details of this EV were not divulged, the executive did mention that it would wear an existing nameplate and likely be a crossover. With Mazda reinventing its identity with a new logo recently, the timing seems right to readjust model naming strategies so that electric versions of existing vehicles are more closely related to combustion cars’ nomenclature, and an electric version of the CX-60 sounds like the sort of thing that should be popular, assuming range and pricing are attractive. In the meantime, American customers can take advantage of the newly introduced – and well-priced – hybrid CX-50.

Source:
AutoGuide