Mazda CX-8 for Japan sale later this year

This is the Mazda CX-8, which goes on sale in Japan later this year, writes Brian Byrne.

It's a 3-row SUV, which can be ordered in 6- or 7-seat configurations.

The car is smaller than the CX-9, flagship of the brand's range though not on sale in Europe because it is considered too big.

So will we see the CX-8 here? At the moment the company has no declared plans for it outside Japan, but it would seem to us to be a better size for the brand to get back into the larger SUV game on this side of the world.