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  The all-new Mazda CX7 will be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. (Picture: current Mazda CX7) Photo Gallery

Solid sales despite an overall buyer handbrake being applied to new car sales is putting a smile on Mazda.

Now, that smile will get even bigger as it spreads across the grille of the updated CX-7 SUV. Expected in Australia late this year after showing its face at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show, the CX-7 also gets the family diesel engine as an option.

Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver says it's too early to confirm the diesel though an announcement on the oil burner — with an auto box — is likely over the next few weeks. The 2.2-litre turbo-diesel — shared with the Mazda6 and Mazda3 models — has been tweaked to boost low-speed torque and make maximum power arrive lower in the rev range.

Mazda claims the new CX-7 will be the first diesel-engined Japanese passenger car fitted with a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system. The good news is that SCR cuts nitrous oxide emissions by 40 per cent. The bad news is that, at the moment, it will only be specified on European models in acknowledgement of tougher emission laws being imposed by the European Union.

The SCR system — like Mercedes-Benz's BluTec and Volkswagen's BlueMotion — introduces ammonia into the exhaust system to chemically remove nitrous oxides. Mazda says refills of its AdBlue liquid to the SCR system are required only during scheduled maintenance.

Read more stories from the Frankfurt Motor Show