Mazda CX-60 News

Mazda has confirmed its next electric vehicle (and first since the MX-30) will launch in 2027 on a newly-developed in-house platform.

With many European brands feeling the sting of slowing electric car sales expansion and intense competition from China, Japan is doing things differently.  Mazda is no stranger to thinking outside the box and at this month’s Tokyo Auto Salon car show, boss Masahiro Moro declared Mazda “will not give up on [combustion] engines," according to a report from BestCar.

Mazda has recalled a total of 7870 examples of its Mazda CX-60 and CX-90 vehicles in petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid guises, built between 2023 and 2024, due to malfunctioning software that may impact the cars' critical driving functions.According to a recall notice published by the Australian Government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, 5331 petrol and diesel mild-hybrid variants of the CX-60 and CX-90 have been affected.The notice read: “Due to a software issue, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) and Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) may impact the hybrid battery assist function. As a result, the engine may not automatically restart after entering idle stop (i-stop).“In addition, due to a software issue with the Dash Electronic Supply Unit (Dash-ESU), when the hybrid system is powered on, multiple warning messages may display in the instrument cluster.“The engine warning light may illuminate; the instrument cluster may fail to illuminate the visual and audible seat belt warnings; and the 360° view camera functions may not operate as intended to assist the driver to detect nearby obstacles or driver errors,” the notice read.Unique to the diesel variant, the notice said: “The clutch connecting motor and engine may not engage with appropriate timing when restarting the engine during EV-driving and/or; the engine may restart immediately after the transition from engine-driving to EV driving.“In this condition, the engine RPM may not increase, and the engine may fail to restart. The engine can be restarted by pressing the ‘push start button’.”In the worst case scenario, the notice said: “A loss of EV drive mode and a loss of safety systems such as camera functions and seat belt warnings could increase the risk of an accident, causing serious injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.”The software issue impacting 2539 examples of the plug-in hybrid CX-60 is slightly different and only pertains to the vehicle’s Dash-ESU, which may also cause several warning messages to illuminate or systems to malfunction due to improper programming.The notice said: “the engine warning light may illuminate; the PHEV high-voltage battery cooling system may not operate as intended.“As a result, EV drive mode may not be available; the instrument cluster may fail to illuminate the visual and audible seat belt warnings; and the 360° view camera functions may not operate as intended to assist the driver to detect nearby obstacles or driver errors.”As with the petrol and diesel variants, in the worst case scenario, there are concerns a loss of EV drive mode and safety camera system functions and seatbelt warning malfunctioning could lead to serious injury or death.Owners of the petrol Mazda CX-60 and CX-90 built between 2023 and 2024 can check if their vehicle is affected here, while owners of diesel variants can check here.Plug-in hybrid owners can check here.All owners will be contacted by Mazda Australia imminently to arrange a time to have either vehicle’s PCM or Dash-ESU systems, or both, recalibrated free of charge.

The Mazda CX-60 will welcome a new and cheaper entry-level variant and introduce range-wide ride and handling changes in the first half of next year as the brand's first "Mazda Premium" product continues to find its feet in Australia.

Mazda’s electric car offensive seems to be gathering steam.  The brand applied to trademark the name ‘CX-6e’ with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) earlier this month, as discovered by Autoguide.

Mazda Australia has issued a recall for 860 diesel engined variants of its CX-60 and CX-90 SUVs sold between 2023 and 2024.

While electric cars and traditional hybrids have exploded in popularity, plug-in hybrids have remained a relatively niche alternative. By the middle of 2024, though, sales are up 130 per cent, from 3582 sales in 2023 to 8223 thanks to more models becoming available and improved vehicle supply. Driven by the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and new BYD Sealion 6, the plug-in hybrid landscape is only going to become more populous in the coming months, including when BYD launches the first PHEV ute to be sold in Australia. Plug-in hybrids offer a unique combination of electric mobility but without range anxiety. Their battery packs, typically between 10-20kWh in capacity, offer between 50-150km of electric-only range, matching early electric cars. There is the added benefit of a combustion engine that can kick in when you run out of battery. This means long distance road trips, like Sydney-Melbourne, require less charge stop planning than in a battery electric car. The technology is only improving, too. Manufacturers are fitting larger battery packs, more efficient motors and adding DC fast-charge capability to their plug-in hybrids. BYD is heavily invested, releasing its fifth-gen Dual Motor intelligence (DM-i) system in China with claims of 2100km total driving range and nearly 200km from the battery alone. It is not a perfect solution. Owners need to be diligent with charging to get anywhere close to the official fuel consumption ratings, typically below 3L/100km. Dragging the extra battery weight around often means similar fuel consumption to a petrol vehicle when out of charge, too. In its first month on sale, the new BYD Sealion 6 medium SUV notched up a healthy 482 registrations – it’ll be quick to challenge the established Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (2422) and Eclipse Cross PHEV (1482, both year-to-date).Following the mainstream nameplates come some more premium options, including the Mazda CX-60 (460 to end of May), Volvo XC60 (390), Cupra Formentor (313), MG HS Plus EV (307), Porsche Cayenne e-Hybrid (304), Audi Q5 (301), Lexus NX (175) and Mercedes-AMG C63 (163).Expect plug-in hybrid sales to easily reach beyond 15,000 this year. That’s still a long way off projected electric car (100,000) and hybrid (160,000) sales, but it is a big increase for the powertrain style. Also helping to drive sales are the current FBT exemptions for novated leasing on plug-in hybrid vehicles making them more attractive to buyers. This benefit will end on April 1, 2025. Hybrid hero Toyota sells a selection of plug-in hybrid models overseas, including the RAV4 and Prius Prime. Having committed to a 100 per cent hybrid or electric passenger car line-up (excluding GR) in Australia, Toyota may also join the fray. “As we evolve and battery technology evolves, there will be certain benefits that PHEV can offer that will also fit into those top three categories. Eventually, we'll have plug-in hybrids. What variants? We will have to decide,” Toyota Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley told CarsGuide in May.

Mazda Australia says it is not concerned its new large SUV strategy will confuse buyers, and believes the four new models will have their own distinct identity on dealer showroom floors.

Owners of Mazda CX-60 models built between 28 March and 30 September 2023 are eligible for revised rear suspension parts. Mazda made running updates to the rear dampers of the CX-60 medium luxury SUV as a way to address criticism from media and owners about a firm rear ride. There is also a software update applicable to all CX-60s to smooth the operation of Mazda’s unique eight-speed automatic transmission that uses a multi-plate clutch in place of a torque converter. Both are being offered free of charge to owners. CarsGuide Senior Journalist Richard Berry had a CX-60 long-term test car and noticed the terse ride: “On Sydney’s roads the CX-60’s suspension is too firm and jostling for a family SUV. Then there’s the rough and jerky feeling transmission which Mazda has admitted could be better.” A Mazda spokesperson said: “this is a running change available to CX-60 owners allowing early customers to align their vehicle with the latest factory specification. This option includes a revised rear shock absorber fitted at no cost through the Mazda dealer network. “As CX-60 makes its way into more markets, we continue to study the vehicle and review customer feedback. There is no change in specification regards the CX-90, thus no running changes planned for this model currently”, the spokesperson added. The first shipment of new dampers arrived in March and some CX-60s have had the change applied. According to existing owners, there is more stock of the new dampers arriving in mid-May for those yet to have the update. Alongside running changes, the BMW X3 and Lexus NX rival has been subject to recalls since its launch in July 2023 including one for the steering system recall and another for loss-of-power in the P50e plug-in hybrid.As it does with all models from CX-3 to CX-9, Mazda will continue to incrementally update its Large Product platform vehicles, especially after making such a significant investment in the high-profit premium tactic.  

Mazda Australia has confirmed a small pricing change to its line-up, almost a standard rise across all models, which took place as of January 1.