Order books will open during the first quarter of 2013, with the manufacturer confirming it will be powered by the SKYACTIV-G petrol engine and a choice of SKYACTIV manual and automatic gearboxes in the North American market. It will also be the first to feature Mazda’s new i-ELOOP regenerative braking system, claimed to improve economy by 10%

European models are likely to feature the same engine line-up as the recently released CX-5 crossover, with two versions of the SKYACTIV-D diesel engine. CO2 emissions should be under 120g/km for the most efficient diesel, and under 130g/km for the petrol. The global line-up will be revealed at the Paris Motor Show in September.