The Mazda CX-60 PHEV will produce ‘over 300hp’

This isn’t Mazda’s first plug-in car: strangely the Japanese firm bucked the trend by going fully electric with the MX-30 before considering a charging socket and a fuel filler cap.

But that’s about to change with the arrival of the CX-60 PHEV, described as the brand’s new ‘flagship’ SUV and due to be launched on 8 March.

According to Mazda it’ll run a 2.5-litre, straight-four petrol engine in conjunction with a single electric motor. The result? More than 300hp, which - just to be pedantic - means at least 296bhp.

That’s about it on the details front. Mazda says the CX-60 will be the first of two new cars being added to its ‘Large Product Group’ over the next couple of years, the other newbie being the CX-80 SUV.

The latter will get a third row of seats, putting it in the same league as the Volvo XC90, Kia Sorento, Peugeot 5008, Skoda Kodiaq and Seat Tarraco, to name but a few.

Other ‘wide body’ members of the LPG gang include the CX-70 and CX-90, but they’re intended for other markets so don’t expect to find any in Europe.

More info and pics to come in the near future. In the meantime, what do we think of the, er… driver’s side headlight? No, you’re clutching at straws.