Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced details of its upcoming 2007 Mazda CX-7 crossover sport-utility vehicle (SUV). The company also confirmed that the car will make its public debut at the upcoming Greater Los Angeles Auto Show here, and the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2006.

Photo: http://media.ford.com/images/large/Mazda/Mazda_CX7.jpg

The Mazda CX-7 is the first of three all-new Mazda vehicles that are being designed and engineered specifically for the North American market.

Produced on entirely Mazda-derived platform architecture, Mazda CX-7 embodies an astute blend of sports car verve and SUV practicality, resulting in a fun-to-drive SUV with Mazda’s trademark “Soul of a Sportscar” .

The distinctive exterior design of the Mazda CX-7 is an extension of the sports car motif influenced by the 1995 RX-01 and 2005 MX-Crossport concept vehicles. In addition, CX-7’s strong emotional styling shows its family resemblance to the RX-8 sports car. Prominent front fenders, A-pillars rooted at the body’s leading edge, and Mazda’s signature five-pointed grille clearly register this new model as a Mazda.

The three- dial instrument cluster, sports car inspired high-mounted shifter and fo rm-fitting front bucket seats are configured for spirited motoring. The instrument panel consists of a unique ‘double-roof’ structure, in which a small ‘roof’ over the meter cluster is positioned just in front of a large ‘roof’ that extends across the entire instrument panel. The 60-40 split rear seat accommodates three adults in comfort and quickly converts to an extension of the 29.9 -cu. ft. cargo hold, bringing total cargo capacity up to 58.6- cu. ft . The 39-inch-long rear compartment (seats up) offers more stowage space than some larger SUVs.

Matching the sporty appearance is Mazda CX-7’s powerful and dynamic performance. Mazda CX-7 is powered by a turbocharged and intercooled 2.3-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine that produce s 244-horsepower at 5,000 rpm. While key powertrain features are shared with the recently launched MAZDASPEED 6 , the Mazda CX-7 is exclusively tuned to deliver 258 lb-ft of torque at a remarkably low 2, 5 00 rpm, and at least 99-percent of the maximum torque available all the way to the 5,000 rpm horsepower peak. With Mazda’s six-speed Sport AT transmission, CX-7 performs as if there’s an engine twice the size under the hood. Furthermore, the Mazda CX-7 delivers an estimated 23 mpg in combined driving.

A sturdy unitized body structure, fully independent suspension, and four-wheel ventilated disc brakes with standard four-wheel anti-lock braking system ( ABS ) , Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Traction Control System (TCS), underlie Mazda CX-7’s athletic road manners. Customers may select the driveline best suited to their needs: F ront-Wheel Drive or Mazda’s Active Torque-Split All-Wheel Drive . With Active Torque-Split All-Wheel Drive , a computer-controlled coupling feeds up to 50-percent of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels for exceptional handling whether the driving conditions are dry and fast or slippery and paced.

Mazda CX-7 arrives in the spring of 2006 as a 2007 model.