Competing for the hearts, minds, and discretionary dollars of new vehicle buyers is a high stakes industry for automotive dealerships. Each year the major automobile manufacturers come out with their latest offerings, enticing consumers with new technologies, contemporary designs, and a vast array of incentives. The big winners are usually those companies that can effectively fill a void in the market, and for that reason this could be a big year for Mazda according to Patrick Shaw, owner of North Bay Mazda and home to the exciting new Mazda CX-90.
“For me, the biggest thing with the CX-90 is it’s going to allow us to serve an entirely new class of customer,” said Shaw, whose team recently took over the local dealership. “We’ve never had a vehicle that was large enough t compete with the Atlas (Volkswagen), the Pilot (Honda) or the Ascent (Subaru), all those larger seven passenger vehicles.”
With the 2024 Mazda CX-90, the multinational Japanese automaker has come out ready to conquer the market. In addition to the first-ever plug-in hybrid powertrain, the Mazda CX-90 also introduces another exhilarating first: the company’s first-ever inline 6 engine. Available with up to 340 hp and 369 lb-ft1 of torque, the 3.3-L inline 6 turbo is Mazda’s most powerful engine ever. It was developed in unison with a performance focused vehicle platform, to support a front engine, rear-biased AWD layout.
The most exciting thing about the new 2024 Mazda CX-90 crossover is its engine. A new rear-drive architecture allows for an inline-six engine, the first ever from Mazda, and the brand's first six-cylinder of any sort in nearly a decade. With a $40,970 base price, it's the most affordable straight-six car on the market.
“This engine is basically a comparable powertrain to your luxury BMW and Mercedes,” said Shaw. “It’s got tonnes of power. Basically, it’s made to have everything that luxury vehicles have as a competitor but just be priced significantly cheaper.”
Shaw said the new Mazda CX-90 comes in two options, a mild hybrid and a partial hybrid. As for new technologies, this new flagship three-row SUV comes with a wide variety of standard favourites along with Mazda’s Driver Personalization System, which Shaw said is designed to enhance driver experience.
“The three key features of the system include driving position guide, setting restoration and entry assist,” he said. The Driver Personalization System recognise the driver using the camera inside the vehicle and automatically restores the various drive settings that have been stored.”
The vehicle comes with a standard three-year unlimited kilometre comprehensive warranty along with a five-year unlimited powertrain. Shaw said North Bay Mazda will have a model on-site for test drives, but given the anticipation for the vehicle he’s suggesting a more direct option.
“This vehicle is designed to get us in front of a new breed of customer,” said Shaw. “We have a couple incoming but realistically, you’ll want to come place your order now and put your name on one.”
Visit North Bay Mazda at 235 Lakeshore Road in North Bay. Or visit them online.