The Zoom-Zoom company promised to introduce the CX-70 in 2023 but we're approaching the end of the year, and yet the new SUV is still a no-show. In fact, don't hold your breath on seeing it soon since the RWD-based family hauler has been pushed back until sometime next year. Speaking with Automotive News, Mazda North America CEO Tom Donnelly announced the model will be launched in 2024. The original plan was to have it on sale by late 2023.

Much like the CX-90 is offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, Donnelly confirmed the CX-70 is also getting an electrified setup. As a refresher, the CX-90 PHEV has a 2.5-liter gasoline engine working together with an electric motor for a total system output of 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque delivered to an all-wheel-drive system. It boasts an eight-speed automatic with a wet clutch and has a 14.8-kWh battery pack good for an EPA-estimated 25 miles of electric range.

The newcomer is expected to come strictly with two rows of seats whereas the CX-90 can accommodate six or seven people, depending on configuration. Contrary to popular belief, the CX-70 isn't going to be smaller. In an official document published back in February to complement the FY March 2023 Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing, the Japanese brand said the CX-70 will be a "two-row model with the same body [as the CX-90]." You can access the document on Mazda's website.In related news, Donnelly said an electric vehicle will be launched in North America in 2025, following the discontinuation of the slow-selling MX-30 after the 2023 model year. He mentioned it's going to use the name of an existing product, suggesting it'll probably be an SUV. Down the line, the head honcho mentioned additional EVs could be launched depending on customer demand.

Donnelly is confident that Mazda will sell more than 350,000 units this year in North America where he projects the company will move 500,000 vehicles by 2025. Market share has already reached 2.3 percent, the highest ever since the automaker entered the U.S. back in 1960. The CX-90 is off to a great start as the CEO says it's already outselling the CX-9, which bows out after the 2023 model year. September has been the best month thus far for the newcomer, with 4,700 people getting behind the wheel of the CX-90.

Mazda takes itself too seriously these days to make cars like the old Mazdaspeed 3. In its words, such cars are "childish." But maybe it's found youth in its heart again, because Mazda has shown off performance road car concepts by its new factory race team. One of them's a track-ready, turbocharged Mazda3, and the odds of it making production look strong.

Mazda revealed the cars at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon, where it also confirmed the development of a new Wankel rotary sports car engine. For the show, factory race team Mazda Spirit Racing built a Mazda3 and MX-5 that Japanese Nostalgic Car reports tout revised suspension and aerodynamics, making them viable for track use. Seeing as Mazdaspeed was phased out over the 2010s, this makes these cars effectively the successors to Mazdaspeeds of yore.

Mazda told me the concepts are meant to represent track-ready daily drivers, and that both cars bring new engines to the table. The MX-5 uses the 2.0-liter four-cylinder from its Super Taikyu ST-Q endurance racing prototype, which runs on the same synthetic fuel as Toyota's GR Corolla-powered GR86. Mazda has previously mentioned future-proofing historic MX-5s with engines tuned for these synthetic fuels, so this seems to be a development on that front.

For the Mazda3 on the other hand, Mazda told me it's considering a new turbo engine with a performance emphasis—and that this isn't the 2.5-liter turbo already on sale in North America. In the company's words, the engine would offer "a more nimble and powerful driving experience." Sounds like a Subaru WRX-killer to me.

Mazda couldn't comment on the possibility of Mazda Spirit Racing-branded performance parts, or the odds of the brand making it to the United States. However, it stated it "would like to consider expansions in the future," and that more info is on the way soon. Still, it seems at least both concepts are bound for production, as reported by Motor1. Even if neither comes to the U.S., it'll rekindle interest in the Mazda3 platform as a performance car. Should the aftermarket follow suit, it'll be a win regardless.