A fresh report out of the United States suggests Mazda will revive its CX-7 badge and use it on a fresh-faced crossover set to be built alongside Toyota’s upcoming new SUV.
According to WardsAuto, both SUVs will be built at the two automakers’ joint-venture vehicle assembly plant in Huntsville, Alabama.
Toyota recently announced it had “shifted” its production plans at the plant to include “a new, yet-to-be announced SUV”, scrapping plans to expand production of the Corolla to the new site. Mazda, meanwhile, in 2018 announced it would build a “crossover model” at the site.
The report quotes “forecast data” from LMC Automotive showing Toyota’s mid-size SUV will enter production in 2022, with the new CX-7 set to arrive a year earlier in 2021. The two SUVs are expected to share a platform and various parts.
Mazda and Toyota have invested $1,6-billion in the project with “equal funding contributions”.
Mazda discontinued the previous-generation CX-7 in August 2012, when the first-generation CX-5 arrived on the scene.
