New Mazda SUV and sportscar models due
* New Mazda SUV and sportscar models due * Replacement for 2,3, 5 and MX-5 also planned * Hybrid and range-extender on the way, too...
Mazda will launch an all-new SUV and sportscar within five years, with both using Skyactiv chassis and engine technology similar to that of the new Mazda 6, company boss Takashi Yamanouchi has told What Car?.
He also revealed that the all-new Mazda 6 will be the largest saloon that the company will make.
One of the new models is likely to be a seven-seat SUV, which would be a rival for cars such as the Hyundai Santa Fe.
The other could be a sportscar to replace the RX8, which recently went off-sale. It would be a rival for cars such as the Audi TT and Toyota GT86.
Mazda will also launch replacements for the current 2, 3, 5 and MX-5.
Mazda 5 MPV is due for replacement, as part of the company's range overhaul
Yamanouchi also said that Mazda is intending to branch out into alternative technologies. A petrol-electric hybrid is expected in 2014, and a Vauxhall Ampera-style range-extender will be available for lease in Japan next year. It will use one of the company's rotary engines, powered by petrol or hydrogen to produce the electric power that turns the wheels when the batteries have run down.
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