599 GTO

Make
Ferrari
Segment
Coupe

Like many outlets we assumed the Mazda Koeru concept shown at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show was a preview of the refreshed CX-9 SUV. The new CX-9 made its debut at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show and while it looked good it didn't share many similarities with the Koeru. It turns out there was a reason for that. Apparently the Koeru is its own beast, at least according to Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai. Kogai spoke with Automotive News (AN) about the sexy two-door, confirming its actual identity.

It's a totally new car. It's a lower, sporty SUV. It's close to a wagon. The CX-9 rides higher. So does the CX-3 and CX-5. [The Koeru] aims to generate more driving pleasure," he said. Okay, from appearance alone that makes sense. The Koeru is definitely not a traditional SUV in terms of size or styling, looking almost like a wagon. So, what does Kogai see its real-world equivalent as? That would be the Subaru Outback. "That kind of genre [the Outback]. We'd like to see how it is evaluated globally, so we are collecting customer feedback," Kogai told AN. A driver-focused Mazda five-door wagon-SUV thing would be pretty damn cool. We are biased but believe that Mazda will get nothing but positive feedback about the Koeru.

It looks simply stunning and from a business standpoint it (unfortunately) makes sense for any automaker to add new SUV-type vehicles to the lineup as often as possible.