WEIRD MAZDA CX-90 TEST MULE SPIED, COULD BE NEW EV IN DISGUISE

Take a very close look at this oddball Mazda CX-90, because there's more than meets the eye. A new nose, some very strange wheels, and little bits of camouflage in some unusual places. But this prototype isn't a CX-90 with an inline six, or the four-cylinder PHEV. In fact, it's not even a CX-90 at all. This is actually the smaller CX-80 sold in the rest of the world, and it is hiding a fully electric powertrain underneath.

This Mule Is A Mash Of Different Ideas

That's right... the CarBuzz spy photo team has captured a Mazda test mule being put through its paces near the Japanese automaker's US headquarters in Irvine, California. There are multiple signs that it is electric, with some more obvious than others. The biggest is that our spy crew tells us it's completely silent.

From there, the new nose is an obvious sign. Mazda's signature grille is completely covered over, the first change designers and engineers make when it's time for an electric vehicle. Without the heat generated by a gas engine or the otherwise unusable space of an engine bay, keeping the air out is much better for aerodynamic performance and maximizing vehicle range.

For the same reason, Mazda has blocked off the inlets on the left and right sides of the big SUV's front bumper. Though those were largely for looks anyway, blocking them is better for air flow.

Less obvious signs are only visible because we have multiple images. The vehicles driving in convoy with it – the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Tesla Model Y – are electric and likely competitors for a new Mazda electric crossover. Our spies tell us that Mazda engineers seem to be comparing information across all three, including studying the battery and suspension, as well as taking cabin temperature measurements.

Is This Mazda's Unseen New 2027 EV?

Also of interest: the above photos shows the Hyundai has a manufacturer's license plate with the same prefix as the Mazda, which likely means Mazda owns it and is using it as a benchmark. That probably holds true for the Tesla as well. But we're not sure why Mazda is using the CX-80 body sold in Europe, Australia, and elsewhere, and not the CX-90. Though.

There are sharp differences between the 90 and 80, with the most obvious being the rear corner of the rear three-quarter glass. The 80 has a curve upward that the 90 doesn't have. The CX-80 also has the less prominent roof rails you can see on this vehicle. But the test mule has the front fenders of a CX-90. The tell is the fake fender vent, which is shaped differently on the two. Perhaps the 80 was just a better fit for whatever's happening underneath, but needed 90 fenders for width? In the wild world of test mules, anything goes.

Another odd detail of this prototype is the front wheel arch. The line where the stamping should be cut out for the CX-90's front tire is visible, but it's not where the panel has actually been cut. The front wheel appears to be a few inches further to the rear than the gas and PHEV models. The CX-80 and -90 have the same wheelbase (the differences are overall length and width), so that doesn't explain it.

Then there are the wheels themselves. The small wheel and tire package is set well in from the body, like a lifted truck that skipped leg day. The only conclusion we can reach from this is Mazda testing its electric drive system for a model that's smaller and narrower than a CX-80. One that doesn't have a charge door, which means it's either hidden somewhere very clever or it's actually inside this early test vehicle.

Most likely, then, this is the new EV Mazda said last week was under development. The automaker said at the Japan Mobility Show that it hadn't decided what the new model would be, which actually checks out nicely with this janky test-mule sighting. Mazda can work on the EVs underpinnings while figuring out what exactly it will be. Based on what we see here, that could be something closer in size to the CX-50 than to Mazda's largest models.

Whatever it ends up being, that vehicle is due to be launched in 2027. So Mazda had best hurry up and finalize something.

2025-11-08T05:09:42Z