2024 Mazda CX-90 Coming Next Month, "Performance-Oriented" Plug-in Hybrid System Confirmed

1 year, 10 months ago - 14 December 2022, autoevolution

A little over a year ago, Mazda confirmed no fewer than four all-new sport utility vehicles based on a brand-new platform designed for longitudinal powertrains and rear- or all-wheel drive.

The first of the four SUVs came in the guise of the CX-60, a mid-size crossover available with four- and six-cylinder lumps connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Not destined for the U.S., the CX-60 will be joined by a three-row sibling in the near future. Over in the United States, the CX-60 and CX-80 will receive two regional siblings in the guise of the CX-70 and CX-90. Rather than launching the five-seat crossover first, Mazda North American Operations prepares to take the veils off the CX-90 in January next year.

Scheduled to arrive in dealership forecourts for the 2024 model year, the CX-90 was teased last month with front-fender badges that read INLINE 6. What kind of six-pot engine is hiding under the hood? Only Mazda knows for the time being. On the other hand, the CX-60 has been confirmed with five six-cylinder choices: 3.3L Skyactiv-G turbo, 3.3L e-Skyactiv G turbo mild hybrid, 3.0L e-Skyactiv X mild hybrid, 3.3L Skyactiv-D turbo diesel, and 3.3L e-Skyactiv D mild-hybrid turbo diesel.

Have a wild guess which of these five won’t be sold in the United States. The diesels clearly aren’t meant for this market, leaving only the G and X as potential candidates. The CX-60 is also offered with two four-cylinder powertrains: 2.5L Skyactiv-G and 2.5L e-Skyactiv PHEV. Teased once again today, the CX-90 will be available as a “performance-oriented plug-in hybrid” according to Mazda North American Operations. Despite packing four cylinders, the CX-60 2.5L e-Skyactiv PHEV is the Japanese automaker’s most powerful series-production vehicle yet (think 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet or 500 Nm of twist on full song).

The plug-in hybrid powertrain further promises up to 39 miles (63 kilometers) of all-electric range at up to 87 mph (140 kph) in the CX-60 on the WLTP test cycle. Although not yet confirmed to be the 2.5L e-Skyactiv PHEV of the CX-60, the automaker did mention “all-new e-Skyactiv powertrain” and “tuned specifically for the North American market.”