Mazda has been doing a great job at keeping the CX-60 a secret since this is only the second time the all-new SUV is being spotted. Caught undergoing final testing in Germany, the automaker's first-ever PHEV had the production body hiding underneath relatively thin camouflage. It would seem the Zoom-Zoom company won't be rocking the boat in terms of the design, which isn't to say that's a bad thing.
Mazda makes some of the prettiest SUVs in the game, and it looks like the CX-60 will also be a handsome family hauler. However, it could've been more attractive without the ghastly faux exhaust finishers at the back. Adding insult to injury, the ones on the driver's side are a decoy in the sense there's no exhaust tip in the area. The real thing is on the right side but tucked away underneath those finishers. We've seen a similar exhaust setup before (we're looking at you, Audi S6 diesel).
Gallery: 2023 Mazda CX-60 spy photos
Despite the familiar look, the CX-60 is completely different underneath the skin. It rides on a newly developed rear-wheel-drive platform engineered with longitudinal engines. Logic tells us we're looking at the PHEV since the electrified version has been confirmed with over 300 horsepower. It would make sense to give the most potent model a quad exhaust setup – even if it's deceiving.
Ok, but where is the charging port? We only get to see the right side of the vehicle and there's no fuel cap. The one for gasoline is presumably on the left side as it's the case with ICE-only Mazdas. Some plug-in hybrids, such as the ones from Mercedes, have the charging port in the rear bumper, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.
That means it's either on the front-left fender or in the grille. We are ruling out the first scenario since the camo-free prototype spotted in November 2021 didn't have it there. That would leave the grille as the place where Mazda has hidden the charging port, much like Genesis with the Electrified GV70. However, we are not excluding the possibility of this CX-60 being powered solely by a gasoline engine.
A member of the "Large Product Group" announced in October 2021, the CX-60 will have a wider counterpart in the United States as the CX-70. Mazda is also working on a bigger, three-row CX-80 for Europe, which it too will fatten up for North America where it'll be sold as the CX-90. Aside from an SUV onslaught, some other models are expected to transition to RWD, including the next Mazda6.
In some parts of the world where diesels are still relevant, the new wave of SUVs will be offered as a plug-in hybrid based around a SkyActiv-D inline-six. Mild-hybrid four-cylinder powertrains will be joined by a four-pot PHEV. In fact, the CX-60 will use a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with four cylinders and an electric motor to produce over 300 hp.
Part of Mazda's plan to electrify its lineup is also a range-extending rotary engine for the MX-30. The small electric crossover is already offered in select countries as a mild-hybrid model with a 2.0-liter gasoline engine.
Meanwhile, the CX-60 is set to debut on March 8 and go on sale later this year in Europe.
