The Zoom-Zoom company promised to introduce the CX-70 in 2023 but we're approaching the end of the year, and yet the new SUV is still a no-show. In fact, don't hold your breath on seeing it soon since the RWD-based family hauler has been pushed back until sometime next year. Speaking with Automotive News, Mazda North America CEO Tom Donnelly announced the model will be launched in 2024. The original plan was to have it on sale by late 2023.
Much like the CX-90 is offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, Donnelly confirmed the CX-70 is also getting an electrified setup. As a refresher, the CX-90 PHEV has a 2.5-liter gasoline engine working together with an electric motor for a total system output of 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque delivered to an all-wheel-drive system. It boasts an eight-speed automatic with a wet clutch and has a 14.8-kWh battery pack good for an EPA-estimated 25 miles of electric range.
The newcomer is expected to come strictly with two rows of seats whereas the CX-90 can accommodate six or seven people, depending on configuration. Contrary to popular belief, the CX-70 isn't going to be smaller. In an official document published back in February to complement the FY March 2023 Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing, the Japanese brand said the CX-70 will be a "two-row model with the same body [as the CX-90]." You can access the document on Mazda's website.
In related news, Donnelly said an electric vehicle will be launched in North America in 2025, following the discontinuation of the slow-selling MX-30 after the 2023 model year. He mentioned it's going to use the name of an existing product, suggesting it'll probably be an SUV. Down the line, the head honcho mentioned additional EVs could be launched depending on customer demand.
Donnelly is confident that Mazda will sell more than 350,000 units this year in North America where he projects the company will move 500,000 vehicles by 2025. Market share has already reached 2.3 percent, the highest ever since the automaker entered the U.S. back in 1960. The CX-90 is off to a great start as the CEO says it's already outselling the CX-9, which bows out after the 2023 model year. September has been the best month thus far for the newcomer, with 4,700 people getting behind the wheel of the CX-90.
