Beijing show: Mazda confirms CX-4

MAZDA has, at last, confirmed that it will plug the obvious gap in its SUV nomenclature with a CX-4 crossover, that bridges the space between its baby CX-3 and CX-5 mid-range high-rider.

GoAuto first predicted the arrival of the new SUV family member following the reveal of the Koeru concept at the Frankfurt motor show last year, but it has taken six months for the Japanese car-maker to officially announce the birth of the model.

The new addition to the Mazda line-up will make its official debut at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in April this year, but while the model is now officially on record, the Japanese car-maker is yet to confirm the CX-4 for Australia.

Down Under, Mazda customers are already offered the small CX-3 and larger CX-5 and Mazda Australia is “still weighing up” whether it will introduce the CX-4, which is essentially a jacked-up version of the Mazda3 small hatchback.

“It is way to early to comment on whether the CX-4 will be available in Australia,” said Mazda Australia public relations specialist Tony Mee.

If it were to launch in Australia, the CX-4 would appeal to shoppers wanting something that is a similar size of Mazda's CX-5 but with a more coupe-like profile and styling, in much the same way BMW finds customers for its X5-related X6.

Like the BMW, the CX-4's more elegant roofline will trade a little practicality in exchange for aesthetics that target a younger customer wanting the features of an SUV without the family-swallowing cabin.

With increasing global demand for SUVs, Mazda will be primarily targeting its own Mazda3 customers with a model that offers something sportier than the CX-5 but larger than the CX-3 compact-SUV contender.

Although the vehicle sits on the same SkyActiv base as the CX-5 with an identical 2700mm wheelbase, the execution is undeniably sportier, with a much lower roof-line that, in Koeru at least, is 210mm below that of CX-5.

Details such as powertrain and equipment levels will all have to wait until closer to the vehicle's international launch later this year, but any of the Japanese car-maker's 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder engines and the 2.2-litre diesel are all possibilities at this stage.

Its CX name prefix also denotes the car is almost certain to have four-wheel drive in some variants, as per the other members of the CX family.