TOKYO: Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp. released the CX-80 large three-row SUV on Thursday, hoping to strengthen the customer base by boosting its luxury SUV lineup.

The flagship SUV model of Mazda features a spacious interior allowing people around 170 centimeters tall to easily sit on third-row seats. Its suggested retail price ranges from 3,943,500 yen to 7,122,500 yen.

The CX-80 offers off-road and other driving modes and has a safety function to detect the driver’s drowsiness and posture changes.

Mazda aims to sell 1,400 units monthly in Japan. It plans to release the new model also in Europe.

The CX-80 has plug-in hybrid and two other versions. Mazda plans a shift to electric vehicles, but it currently focuses on the development of plug-in hybrid and other vehicles.

“We’ll secure sales for future investment for growth,” President and CEO Masahiro Moro said.

JIJI Press