Having made its debut on a production car in 2012 with the launch of the first-generation Mazda CX-5, Mazda’s Kodo – Soul of Motion design philosophy has evolved over the last decade and now with the all-new Mazda CX-60 the company took on the challenge of creating an SUV design that would not only reflect the enhancement of Kodo, but also visually confirm the CX-60’s longitudinal front-engine, rear-wheel drive SUV architecture.
Additionally, the aim of Mazda’s designers was to ensure the Mazda CX-60’s exterior design was recognisable as a premium SUV that could only have been ‘Crafted in Japan’. Conceived under the design concept of ‘Noble Toughness’, the imposing strength of the Mazda CX-60’s beautiful and dynamic styling conveys the intelligence and elegance of the latest evolution of Kodo design, which is influenced by the Japanese concept of Ma – the calm and dignified beauty of empty space.
The CX-60’s deeply sculpted grille, long nose and truncated sporty rear silhouette create powerful and dynamic proportions that hint towards the rear driven chassis and longitudinal engine layout of the CX-60. Combining this presence with the simple beauty and elegance of Kodo design has created an SUV with a tough yet dignified exterior that features the stand-out looks demanded in this premium sector.
Across the three trim levels offered in the UK, there are small areas of distinction to ensure that each model has its own look and customers can have a CX-60 suited to them. The Exclusive-Line features 18-inch grey alloy wheels and dark wheel arch mouldings combined with a chrome finish to the signature wing grille surround and front wing side gills, while the grille itself is a gloss black bar type.
The Mazda CX-60 Homura takes on a sportier look with body coloured wheel arch mouldings, 20-inch metallic black alloy wheels and a gloss black honeycomb style grille combined with gloss black door mirrors and side gill trims. The Homura look is finished off with dark plated finish for the signature wing grille surround. For the flagship Takumi, the elegant look of this range-topper is set off by a gloss black bar type grille with chrome finish signature wing surround. The 20-inch wheels feature a two-tone black and silver metallic machined look, while body coloured mirrors and silver side gills also mark out the range-topping Takumi and give a hint to its luxurious interior and stunning cabin materials.
From the very beginning of Kodo design the aim of this, now multi award-winning, styling philosophy was to achieve the concept of ‘breathing life into a car’ by creating a form in which the car is a moving object that resembles a living creature running at full speed. Its framework expresses stability, much as a living organism uses its skeletal structure and muscles to firmly grip the ground – this is the essence of Kodo design. The Mazda CX-60 uses its strong form to convey a sporty stance on the road when viewed from any angle, giving this flagship SUV a look that highlights just how far Kodo design has come over the last decade.
Complementing the simple beauty of the CX-60’s proportions and Kodo surfaces, Mazda’s designers and clay modellers made sure Mazda’s newest SUV had the attention to styling detail you’d expect from Mazda’s award-winning design team. The front grille adopts an adjusted aspect ratio that shows off the height of the grille more than other Mazdas, while for the first time, the signature wing now features an indicator incorporated into it to further accentuate the powerful look of the grille. The front lamp design is also new for Mazda, unlike previous models, the headlight arrangement features vertically stacked lamps and an L-shaped lighting signature to create a new expression that conveys the strength of an SUV and is perfectly matched to the CX-60’s style and proportions.
View the Mazda CX-60 in profile and the relatively rearward positioning of the cabin lends the vehicle a dynamic sense of movement and highlights the longitudinal engine and rear-wheel drive architecture. Viewed from the side, the CX-60’s sense of strength is enlivened by elegant surfacing that creates an elegant streak of light that reflects downwards from the cabin’s rear edge and grazes the rear wheel arch before reaching the ground. In line with the CX-60’s ‘Crafted in Japan’ creative inspiration, this surface treatment and its simple yet powerful motion, relates to a boldness seen in Japanese calligraphy.
Other details unique to the CX-60, and not seen on a Mazda before, include the side gill signature trim that reflects the practice of adding an emblem to the front wings of sports cars. Featuring the letters ‘PHEV’ or In-Line Six to highlight the CX-60’s drivetrains they are silver on Exclusive-Line and Takumi and black on the Homura. The rear lighting signature adapts an L-shaped design to match that of the front light clusters, while the widely spread consecutive horizontal rear light design creates a high-class lighting signature appropriate to a premium SUV.
The Mazda CX-60 is offered with a choice of eight body colours: Jet Black, Deep Crystal Blue, Sonic Silver, Platinum Quartz, Artic White, Machine Grey, Rhodium White and Soul Red Crystal. Created through a further evolution of Mazda’s Takuminuri painting technology, the new Rhodium White colour makes its debut on the CX-60. The choice of a new white colour came from the Japanese aesthetic belief that less is more, creating the image of a machine focused on the dense luminosity of metal. In contrast to a conventional white pearl finish, Rhodium White has a hard shine with an even more dense particle texture, accentuating the Mazda CX-60’s form.
A welcome addition to the Mazda range from September 2022, the new Mazda CX-60 is the very latest evolution of Kodo design and represents the very best of Mazda design.