Mazda has released an image of its upcoming small crossover, the CX-4. Set to debut next month in China at the Beijing Auto Show, this new urban SUV will slot between the current CX-3 and CX-5 models. Like those two vehicles, it also will feature the full suite of Mazda’s efficient SkyActiv technologies and offer the firm’s i-Activesense driver assist/safety systems, all of which also appear on the automaker’s all-new Mazda CX-9 flagship SUV that hits showrooms here later in the spring.
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This teaser clearly shows the new CX-4 will share a fair amount of its styling with the Koeru Concept that Mazda presented last fall in Frankfurt. Although the Koeru’s 21-inch wheel/tire fitment will likely not transfer, the coupe-like slope of its roofline, rear pillar configuration and chrome accent element look to be near identical. Given what Mazda indicated about the Koeru’s Kodo Soul of Motion design, there’s good reason to believe the rest of the CX-4 will maintain close visual ties with that well-received one-off that was created to appeal to buyers with “a cutting-edge mindset."
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There’s still no official word on CX-4 platform or powertrain. Although the Koeru is almost as long and has nearly the same wheelbase as the CX-5, and we’d be very surprised if the CX-4 didn’t also borrow heavily from that same component set. The new Mazda CX-4 is expected to enter production in 2017 and initial distribution will be confined to China. However the firm is exploring expanding that to include other global markets and at some point the CX-4 could become part of Mazda’s U.S. lineup.
More Concept Vehicles…
The Audi e-tron Quattro Concept previews the upcoming Q6 crossover
Mazda Koeru Concept offers a look at a new compact crossover model
Porsche Mission E Concept: a 600-hp EV on the fast track to production
