The Mazda CX-30 will eventually be followed up by a bigger, more expensive, and more importantly, a six-cylinder rear-wheel drive powertrain coupe-SUV – the 2023 Mazda CX-50.

To be styled in similar fashion with the BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, the Mazda CX-50 will, according to Japanese publication Best Car Web, be launched in April 2023.

It will ride on Mazda’s all-new FR large vehicle architecture that was announced late last year.

Also read: Look hard enough, and you will see the all-new 2022 Mazda 6’s inline 6-cylinder engine

The new platform is designed to accommodate an inline 6-cylinder engine, paired to either a rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive transmission, and will be compatible with multiple levels of electrification including plug-in hybrid and 48V mild-hybrid.

The new FR platform is often mentioned alongside the next generation Mazda 6 but latest reports suggest that the first model to debut with this new platform will be an SUV.

Some sources also indicate that the next-generation Mazda CX-5 will be switching to an inline 6-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive, with its sights aimed at the Mercedes-Benz GLC.

Also read: Next gen 2023 Mazda CX-5 to be priced a lot higher, aimed at Mercedes GLC

To be sold alongside the CX-5 will be the coupe-ish CX-50, analogous to the Mercedes-Benz GLC and GLC Coupe, as well as the BMW X3 and X4.

Preliminary specifications published by Best Car Web suggests that the CX-50 will be powered by a 3.0-litre inline 6-cylinder engine making 300 PS and 340 Nm, with an estimated price of between JPY 3 million to 4 million.

For reference, the Mazda CX-5 2.5 Turbo is currently sold in Japan for JPY 3.9 million (2WD variant). That doesn’t sound quite right but since these are just preliminary information, don’t read too much into it yet.