Teased earlier this week, the Mazda EZ-60 electric SUV has broken cover ahead of its world premiere at Auto Shanghai on April 23. The production version of last year’s Arata concept certainly looks striking and carries over a surprising number of outlandish details from the show car.
Looking more like a fat Mazda 3 hatchback than a crossover, the EZ-60 appears long and low, with a sleek, low-slung glasshouse and crisp lines over voluptuous surfacing. Mazda’s trademark Kodo design language continues to stand out here with an illuminated blanked-off grille that links up to slim daytime running lights, with the main headlights sitting underneath within the aggressive X-shaped front bumper.
The side profile, meanwhile, is dominated by the long bonnet, black roof, flush pop-out door handles and massive two-tone petal-like alloy wheels. Moving to the rear, the L-shaped taillight graphics have been reduced to a slit, sitting above the spaced-out Mazda script that also adorns the side skirts.
But the most interesting parts of the design are the flow-through elements that let air through, such as the inlet within the upper edge of the grille and the thick flying buttress C-pillars. The EZ-60 is also unique in getting side-view cameras instead of mirrors.
Mazda says the design helps reduce the car’s drag coefficient and optimise battery cooling, leading to improvements in performance and range. It’s capped off by a unique gloss purple paint option, providing a further link to the Arata (although that car had a matte finish). No photos of the interior has been provided thus far, but an earlier spyshot showed a widescreen display panel with touchscreens for both the centre and front passenger.
The EZ-60 is the second EV to be developed in conjunction with Mazda’s Chinese partner Changan, after the EZ-6/6e. It should therefore utilise the same EPA platform as its sedan sibling and the related Deepal L07, S05 and S07.
It should also be powered by the same mechanicals, although specs have yet to be revealed. For context, the 6e’s rear motor produces 258 PS (190 kW) and 320 Nm of torque and is juiced by a 68.8 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery to deliver a WLTP-rated range of 479 km. Meanwhile, the Long Range makes slightly less power at 245 PS (180 kW) but has a larger 80 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery for a claimed range of 552 km.
Just like the 6e, the EZ-60 is set to be exported to Europe and Southeast Asia under a new name. It’s been reported that Mazda has trademarked the CX-6e moniker, linking it to both the 6e and the Japanese carmaker’s popular CX range of SUVs.
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