US:Mazda makes it official, dubs new crossover model CX-7 - Ford Forums

Stacy94PGT · 05-31-2005, 20:43

Mazda makes it official, dubs new crossover model CX-7

AUTOWEEK

Mazda has officially made it official: its MX-Crossport concept that bowed at last January’s Detroit auto show will become a production vehicle. The crossover sport ute will be named the Mazda CX-7, which the company says fits into its new worldwide naming strategy.

The CX-7 is expected to enter the U.S. market in the spring of 2006, and will likely be based on the Mazda6 platform.

“The addition of the CX-7 to the Mazda lineup is a critical step forward for us in terms of our ability to grow Mazda’s business in North America,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO for Mazda North America. “In order to succeed, we have to be true to our core values and for any vehicle to wear the Winged-M logo on the grille, it must have the soul of a sportscar.”

In Mazda’s new naming conventions, crossover utes will carry the CX moniker. The majority of the company's vehicle lineup will continue on as Mazda followed by a number that relates to vehicle size, such as Mazda6. The automaker's rotary-powered sports will cars carry the RX designation, while other sport models will have the MX moniker. The company's upcoming, next-generation Miata will be promoted more heavily moving forward as the MX-5. Mazda's Tribute ute, MPV minivan and B-Series Truck will continue on with the same names for the time being.

Mazda says the production Mazda CX-7 will carry many of the design cues of the concept and will be built solely at the automaker's facility in Hiroshima, Japan.