A new Mazda CX-7 will share components, suppliers and its American factory with an upcoming Toyota SUV, believed to be the FT-4X concept revealed in New York, according to media reports from the USA.
Toyota and Mazda have both confirmed they'll be jointly building products at a US$1.6b production facility in Huntsville Alabama. It was initially thought Toyota would use the American facility to produce the Corolla, but it has since confirmed it will be building an all-new C-segment SUV, believed to be a production version of the FT-4X concept.
That vehicle is expected to hit US dealers in 2023, and will reportedly feature both conventional engines and, eventually, full battery-electric drivetrain options. Toyota FT-4X concept was roughly the same size as the C-HR (shorter but wider), and was pitched as a rugged, off-road focused version of that urban-friendly SUV.
According to WardsAuto, Mazda is expected to begin producing a new CX-7 in 2021 - the same year the joint-operated factory opens - which will hit the USA market in 2022.
The CX-7 was last sold in Australia in 2012, when it effectively replaced by the world-beating CX-5 SUV. Nothing is known yet about the specifics of a new CX-7, but the Japanese brand has confirmed its plans to use the factory to build a C-segment SUV.
The reports remain unconfirmed for now, but we'll update this story with more information as it comes to hand.
Do you want to see a return of the Mazda CX-7? Tell us in the comments below.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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