Mazda CX-60 premium RWD crossover spied during filming

We might have just gotten our first glimpse at one of Mazda's highly-anticipated rear-wheel-drive cars. The upcoming Mazda CX-60 has been spotted during what appears to be a commercial or promotional video shoot in Japan.

A spy video captured two vehicles driving down a coastal mountain road (the video has since been taken down), but screenshots depict a larger-than-CX-5 SUV that is said to be built on Mazda's upcoming large vehicle platform. A license plate that reads "Mazda CX-60" in the company's official font confirms that it's the upcoming SUV.

Mazda is planning four SUVs based on its rear-wheel-drive LVP platform.  The smaller and narrower two-row CX-60 and three-row CX-80 are slated for Japan and Europe, while the larger two-row CX-70 and three-row CX-90 are coming to the U.S. The platforms, at least the American-market ones, will be available with Mazda's inline-six Skyactiv engines and some kind of electrification, possibly as a PHEV.

The CX-60 is the first time we've seen a finished car built on the Hiroshima company's RWD platform. The cars feature Mazda's signature grille, though it's wider than we've seen on other models. The headlights, too, are larger and droop down below the grille's wings, the first time we've seen this interpretation of Mazda's Kodo design language. V-shaped openings could offer additional airflow or fog lamp housings.

The proportions and stance recall that of other rear-wheel-drive SUVs that fall on the sporty side of the spectrum, like the Infiniti FX or BMW X5. A white variant looks more luxurious, while an apparently sports-oriented variant in Mazda's trademark Soul Red features black trim and black wheels. Interestingly, both trims feature a cut line along the wheel arches, which seemingly make room for the "rugged" plastic cladding so often seen on crossovers these days, though neither car in the video has them.

While unmistakably Mazda, the design is surprisingly on the bland side. Mazda has been knocking it out of the park with their exteriors, most recently seen on the just-revealed CX-50. Some of the CX-60's lines, like the headlight droop and V-shaped on the front fascia, look kind of incongruous to the rest of the car as well. It's not bad; just uncharacteristic for Mazda. Mazda sells a CX-8 in some markets that's a smaller CX-9, so if history is anything to go by, the CX-70 might be looking quite similar to what you see here.

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