Mazda will present a new crossover concept at the Frankfurt motor show next month.
The mid-size five-door concept, dubbed the Koeru, has been designed by Luca Zollino, lead designer at Mazda's European R&D centre in Heesen, Germany.
Updated - see the new Mazda CX-4
Mazda describes the Koeru as making "a bold statement in an increasingly popular and competitive segment" and says it will "surpass existing standards and raise the bar for performance, efficiency and overall value". The Koeru name means to "exceed" or "go beyond" in Japanese.
The swept-back design of the Koeru gives it a different appearance from Mazda's current SUV offerings, the Mazda CX-3 and Mazda CX-5 - with a shape more akin to the new generation of SUV coupés such as the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé.
The concept is expected to be about the same size as the CX-5 but is likely to offer seven seats inside. Such dimensions and practicality would place it into direct competition with the Land Rover Discovery Sport and the Kia Sorento, both of which can seat seven.
Mazda has confirmed the concept will be powered by its SkyActiv engine range. While the company hasn't given away details of the exact powertrain, the firm's 2.2-litre diesel currently offered in the CX-5 seems like the most obvious candidate.
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New CX-9
My take is it drives better than a Q7 or Disco (Mazda added Zoom-Zoom), but it clearly isn't as well furnished inside as the Audi or Land Rover. Then again it sells here in NZ for the equivalent of GBP25,000 so for that price we can accept a slower lower quality of leather and plastic.
The CX-9 was released in 2007 and dates to a time when Mazda had access to Ford's parts bin. It's the oldest vehicle in Mazda's fleet now, and due for replacement. I expect the new CX-9 will get a turbo'd SkyActive engine with around 250-280bhp, and that engine will then go into Mazdaspeed versions of the 3 and 6.
New CX-7......?