Although most three-row crossovers still rely on six-cylinder power for motivation, Masahiro Moro, Mazda global head of sales and marketing, indicated to Australia’s Car Advice on the sidelines of the New York auto show that the next-generation of the CX-9 – due out in 2016 – will likely use a turbocharged four-cylinder. Moro said the move away from the CX-9′s current V6 is the result of Mazda cutting ties with Ford and a general industry shift toward downsized engines.
“We stopped production of our own V6 in the late 1990s,” he said. “We have used Ford V6 [up until today, and that engine is still used in the CX-9]. Since then everybody is putting in a downsized turbocharged solution.”
Mazda doesn’t currently have a turbocharged four-cylinder in its range, but the automaker could be working on one for its next Mazdaspeed3.
Moro didn’t completely rule out a diesel for the next CX-9, but cautioned that given the SUV’s main market, the United States, it would be a stretch.
“With the CX-9 the main market is the USA,” Moro said. “In general, these customers don’t have a strong preference towards diesel engines. So probably the main engine should be a petrol engine in my opinion.”
A hybrid powertrain is also unlikely.
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