Mazda is developing an in-house electric SUV, and a new set of spy photos shows a test mule wearing a shortened CX-90 body. The vehicle was caught in Europe, almost a year after the same mule was spotted testing in the United States.
At first glance the prototype looks like one of Mazda's Large Platform SUVs, but the details give it away: a shorter wheelbase, a much shorter rear overhang and noticeably narrower tracks. Underneath sits a dedicated EV platform developed in-house by Mazda, rather than the Changan-based architecture behind the 6e and CX-6e sold in China and other markets.
A mule, not a facelift
Mazda is preparing significant exterior, interior and mechanical updates for the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 after slow sales, but the chopped bodywork shows this is not a camouflaged facelift prototype. It is a mule for an entirely new model.
The EV shares most of its body panels with the CX-70 and CX-90, yet the altered proportions suggest the production car will be considerably smaller than those two SUVs. The footprint is likely closer to the CX-50 and CX-5, which would put it in the same segment as the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Volkswagen ID. Tiguan.
That is a crowded field, and it is also the segment where the volume is. Mazda has had no zero-emission model on sale in North America since the MX-30 was discontinued, so a purpose-built electric SUV sized against the Model Y would be its most serious attempt yet at the mainstream EV market there.
Batteries and where they will be built
The new EV is reportedly due to use next-generation lithium-ion and solid-state batteries, built at a new manufacturing facility in Japan with cylindrical modules supplied by Panasonic.
The dedicated platform could also underpin future Mazda EVs of various shapes and sizes. Because it is developed in-house rather than adapted from a partner's architecture, it should give Mazda's designers and engineers more freedom than the Changan-based 6e and CX-6e allowed.
Timing is still unsettled
Mazda originally planned to unveil the new EV in 2025, then pushed that to 2027. More recently it has been reported the project could slip to 2029, though there has been no official confirmation of a delay.
The mule's fully enclosed grille, aerodynamic patches, a small cooling opening in the front bumper and mismatched provisional wheels all point to early-stage testing. Updated prototypes wearing camouflage over the production body should appear before launch, which would give a clearer idea of the final design.
Pricing has not been announced, and neither has the production name, battery capacity, range or power output. Those details should follow once Mazda shows the car in production form.
