2023 Mazda CX-80 confirmed for Australia

Mazda will soon add yet another large, three-row SUV to its local lineup with the brand today confirming the CX-80 will be offered in Australia.

The new model, which is yet to make its global reveal, will be the third new SUV spun off Mazda’s fresh Large Platform architecture and will slot between the soon-to-arrive CX-60 and CX-90 for size and price.

It won’t, however, be sold alongside the existing – and Wheels Car of the Year winning – Mazda CX-9, which is being retired at the end of 2023.

Read our story here to understand more about why Mazda is axing the CX-9 from its global lineup.

5

Mazda CX-90 and CX-9

Although the CX-80 is now confirmed for Australia, little official detail is know about the new model.

We’re yet to see any official images (or even teasers) of the exterior or interior design, and no details about its size, powertrains or pricing have been confirmed by Mazda. And it seems it might stay that way for a while yet.

“All we can confirm today is that CX-80 is coming to Australia,” said Mazda Australia’s marketing chief, Alastair Doak. “Mazda Corporation hasn’t said anything about that model [CX-80] since the initial press release 18 months ago when it confirmed there would be four SUVs off the new Large architecture.”

5

Mazda CX-90

Three of those four SUVs are now confirmed in the CX-60, CX-80 and flagship CX-90 with the fourth slot likely to be filled by the CX-70 – which will be a sportier, two-row version of the larger CX-90.

All of the new SUVs will be based on Mazda’s ‘Large Platform’ architecture that features a rear-wheel-drive bias and ushers in a family of fresh inline six-cylinder engines.

It’s therefore reasonable to assume the CX-80’s engine choices will mirror that of the CX-60, which offers three powertrains: a 3.3-litre Skyactiv-X six-cylinder petrol, a 3.3-litre six-cylinder diesel and a plug-in hybrid, which combines a 100kW electric motor with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

5

Mazda CX-60

As for how Mazda will position the CX-80 within its growing SUV model range (it will soon sell eight SUV models in Australia in the form of the CX-3, CX-30, MX-30, CX-5, CX-8, CX-60, CX-80 and CX-90, while the CX-70 will be the ninth model) it will essentially be a slightly narrower and smaller version of the CX-90.

Much in the same way as the CX-8 is differentiated from the CX-9, the CX-80 is targeted at the European and Japanese markets, while the CX-90 is focused more on America and will have a larger body.

The seven-seat CX-80 will also carry a slightly more affordable price tag than the flagship CX-90, although it will be pricer than the majority of Mazda’s existing model range as the brand continues its ‘premium push’ here in Australia.

5

Mazda CX-90

With the smaller CX-60 starting at around $60,000 and stretching to $85,000 for the flagship PHEV variant, it’s fair to assume pricing for the CX-80 will being in the $70K bracket.

So when will the CX-80 be revealed? Mazda is remaining tight-lipped officially, although the company’s European boss, Martijn ten Drink, did let slip recently that we will see the CX-80 later in 2023.

That means it’s unlikely the CX-80 will make its way into Aussie showrooms this year, with a 2024 Aussie launch a safer bet.