Mazda Starts Production of the CX-9!

Mazda Starts Production of the CX-9, its Second Crossover SUV for the North American Market




HIROSHIMA, Japan--Mazda Motor Corporation today held a 'line-off' ceremony for the CX-9 crossover sport-utility vehicle (SUV) being built for the North American market at the Ujina Plant No.1 near its global headquarters in Hiroshima. Hisakazu Imaki, Mazda's representative director, chairman of the board, president and CEO, along with approximately 450 staffcomprised of several senior executives, union representatives and employeesattended this ceremony. The Mazda CX-9 will be arriving in North American showrooms in early 2007.

"The CX-9 will be the latest addition to Mazda's product lineup in the all-important North American market, joining the Mazda CX-7, which went on sale there in May", said Hisakazu Imaki. "CX-9 is a key model aimed at raising the visibility of Mazda in North America and will be an integral part of building the brand. Furthermore, to keep on providing the best Zoom-Zoom products that will exceed our customers' expectations around the globe, we must continue our efforts as 'One Mazda' to build even higher-quality vehicles."

The Mazda CX-9 is a seven-seat crossover SUV designed and engineered specifically for the North American market. The CX-9 showcases Mazda's unique design and strong, dynamic driving performance as well as an up-market interior with class-leading space and unmatched versatility. The CX-9 debuted at the New York International Auto Show in April 2006, earning high marks for its versatility and remarkable styling that makes a clean break from traditional medium-sized SUVs.

Mazda CX-9 Production Line:









-Mazda

(bump) Pics added!

IF i had a need for a 3rd seat, i would have gotten the 9 in a second. I love this thing. MAzda is on such a roll, they are putting out some serious, SERIOUS vehicles right now. This 9 looks like a cousin of some of the Benz trucks and the interior is gourgous. Yessss

Nice, this should be a big hit once it arrives. What is under the hood of this thing, haven't heard much about that.

Falango said:

Nice, this should be a big hit once it arrives. What is under the hood of this thing, haven't heard much about that.

Click to expand...

The Ford family's brand new 3.5l V6, which is then tuned by Mazda for whatever characteristics they wanted for the CX-9.

At the moment, this engine can also be found on the Lincoln MKZ, and the Ford Edge (and variants).

This thread has more info on it: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123632059

that's awesome. cant wait for it to get here.

So is that ford engine reliable or is it like anything else that is a Ford (crap)?

It is a brand new engine so reliability is admittedly an unknown at this time.

However, it's an ultra-modern design, competitive or better than the best engines in this class in all aspects (e.g. features, performance, efficiency, materials, etc...).

Reviews have also been very positive for this engine on all vehicles that carry it.

Edit: This engine was listed amongst Ward's 10 Best Engines for 2007, along with the Nissan 3.5l and Toyota/Lexus 3.5l