The first famous nameplate to survive by becoming a crossover was the Mitsubishi Eclipse, which is now known as Eclipse Cross. To be fair, it is an SUV, something we cannot say about the Peugeot 408. The former sedan is now a crossover, just like the Toyota Crown. What if the Mazda 6 was resurrected as a crossover as well? This is the question the rendering artist Theottle made and answered with these renderings.
Although calling it the Mazda 6 would be the natural option in this case – Peugeot 408 and Toyota Crown, remember? – Theottle felt it would not be correct. Mazda has a very clear naming strategy: crossovers are called CX. That said, this guy should be named CX-60, but this name is already taken. Mazda CX-6, then? Theottle also did not like it.
The best idea he came up with was calling it the MX-60. It makes sense: Mazda could adopt a wide variety of powertrains with this crossover. It would obviously be a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) car. Not because the Mazda 6 worked like this but instead due to the Skyactiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture, which made its premiere with the CX-60. The deal is that it is compatible with transverse or longitudinal engines, so we could see a front-wheel-drive car based on it as well.
The name confirms that the MX-60 could be an electric car, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), or just a hybrid. With the MX-30, we already have the EV and the hybrid, but not the PHEV. This car should have been from the very beginning. Hopefully, its image will not be that tainted when it gets the rotary engine that Mazda promised. The risk is that people will not want to buy one even when it has a decent range: they may take it for the EV.
The Mazda MX-60 should arrive with that reasonable range and an attractive PHEV proposition. Its battery pack could have the same 35.5 kWh battery pack that the electric MX-30 uses. That could give it enough electric range for short trips, something around 200 kilometers (124 miles). The rotary engine could extend that range to 600 km (373 mi) or more with a reasonable fuel tank.
Such a derivative would be so attractive that the electric and hybrid versions would be the ones with less demand, even if the EV could have a larger battery pack than that one on the MX-30. With the looks Theottle gave this car and Mazda’s engineering excellence, it could be a hit.
Google News