THE Mazda CX-8 will join the Japanese car maker’s Australian showroom late this year, adding a diesel-engined seven-seat alternative to the Mazda CX-9, the company has confirmed.

As first revealed in Wheels magazine in July 2017, Mazda Australia has been keen for the fastback-styled seven-seater to join its popular SUV range, wedged between the CX-5 and COTY-winning CX-9. It will join Mazda’s SUV line-up, which also includes the Mazda CX-5 – Australia’s most popular SUV last year – and the smaller CX-3.

Built on the CX-5’s platform, the three-row CX-8 is powered by an updated version of that car’s 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, and includes the same G Vectoring Control – the engine can momentarily reduce performance to help weigh up a tyre to improve cornering grip – as rolled out to other Mazda models.

Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi said it would also meet growing demand for seven-seat diesel-engined SUVs, something the 2.5-litre turbo petrol-only CX-9 can’t offer.

The 2.2-litre engine ups performance to 140kW and 450Nm, compared with 129kW and 420Nm for the four-pot diesel’s tune in the smaller Mazda CX-5. In Australia, the Mazda CX-9 sells with a 170kW, 420Nm turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

Local specs and pricing will be revealed closer to launch, though has already revealed that all variants will feature the latest i-ACTIVSENSE driver assistance technologies as standard.