Mazda CX-60 'won't cut into CX-5's turf'

UPDATE: CX-60 and CX-5 won't be in direct competition to each other

The upcoming Mazda CX-60 will not cut into the CX-5's mid-sized SUV territory when it comes to sales, a company exec has said.

Speaking to Wheels, Marketing Director Alastair Doak said that despite its pricing expected to be roughly in line with the firm's current best-seller, the CX-60 is a very different offering and there's a place for both in the lineup.

“CX-5 will be okay. CX-60 is a much bigger product and obviously its specification is quite different,” he said. “It has rear-wheel drive, six-cylinder engines, it's got plug-in hybrid and and those sort of things that five doesn't have.

“But even sitting in the showroom, CX-60 is a larger car. So even from that basic kind of lineup, it kind of works. CX-5 is doing incredibly well, if we hadn't had a few supply restrictions [it would be even better] and actually supply for that car currently is good.”

To the end of September, Mazda sold 21,124 CX-5s, with last month proving a good one for the model with 2439 cars finding homes thanks to improved supply.

Meanwhile, as Australia is a significant market for Mazda, where the brand out-punches its global sales taking second spot behind giant Toyota, it’s crucial the new CX-60 can meet the expectations of Australian buyers.

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March 25: CX-60 pricing expected to be around $55k

The 2023 Mazda CX-60 will start around $55,000 before on road costs – perhaps even slightly lower – when it arrives in Australian showrooms this later this year.

The pricing could tantalise buyers looking for a premium Akera version of the CX-5, which tops out at $53,680 for the diesel model, who will be able to step into the new luxury-focussed CX-60 for similar money.

“There could be some overlap,” said Mazda Australia managing director, Vinesh Bhindi, speaking to Wheels at the 2022 Mazda CX-5 launch this week.

“The offering and the range CX-5 covers, in terms of price, we expect CX60 to be above that – there could be some overlap – but most likely above it.”

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The CX-60 is the third new ‘CX’ model revealed from Mazda and is pitched at a more premium buyer than the CX-5, which itself has had considerable updates since the current generation’s arrival in 2017, and larger CX-8.

Built on new rear-wheel drive architecture, the long-wheelbase CX-60 will offer six-cylinder internal combustion powertrains as well as plug-in hybrid models.

“What the CX-60 does is give our customers another choice as they move ahead in their lives. Some of it could be based on the technology, the drivetrains, the dynamics that vehicle will offer, and in some cases it will be the value equations,” said Bhindi.

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“So our direction has always been to give choice to customers so they can make the decision, the right one that fits their own circumstance at the time. So that’s where the CX-60’s spark will be.”

A circa-$55k start gives the CX-60 a significant price advantage over the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 that it has been touted as challenging – yet Mazda says that’s not where the new nameplate will be pitched.

“Those customers may consider us, they may not – that’s not where we are,” Bhindi said. “Our plan is: we’ve got Mazda fans, and Mazda fans want choice from us [based on] their lifestyle as they progress, their family size or stages of life, where they are in their career. Customers like choice.”

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In the 1990s, Mazda offered its premium ‘Eunos’ brand to Australians as a rival to the likes of Nissan’s Infiniti and Toyota’s Lexus luxury divisions.

Similarly, Hyundai is the most recent mainstream carmaker to offer a separately branded luxury division, with its Genesis sub-brand introduced in 2015. Yet Mazda won’t repeat history by creating its own luxury marque.

“We didn’t see the need for it,” said Bhindi. “In the end, it’s [CX-60] a global Mazda product. We tried this with Eunos, but we don’t see that need [now] because, as a brand, we’re already seen as a premium brand against some of our competitors.

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“If you go back in time, what we’re talking about our intent with CX-60, those sorts of strategies have happened because our products have naturally gone up.

“You could consider what was offered in a CX-5 in 2012 to 2022, you can map out the progression. So it’s not brand-new, unknown for us … and we’ve always said, what’s next, how can we take this further [while] still providing value. That’s the hard part – we still have to provide value to the customer.”