A DIESEL engine is to be added to the powertrain choices available in Mazda's new CX-60 large SUV from 2023.

It will join the plug-in petrol engine option which is due to arrive in the next few months.

Mazda says the new 3.3-litre six cylinder inline e-Skyactiv diesel engine is designed to meet the needs of customers who want an efficient, long distance driving car with great towing capacity.

With an advanced combustion system, the new e-Skyactiv D unit is one of the cleanest diesel engines in the world,achieving a thermal efficiency of over 40 per cent.

It will be available with a choice of power outputs - 200 or 254ps - and its emissions are rated as low as 127g/km.

In the C-60 the lower powered engine will be available only in rear-wheel-drive configuration while the more powerful unit is a 4x4.

The 254ps e-Skyactiv D delivers performance of 0-60mph in 7.4 seconds and returns an official average fuel consumption of 53.3mpg with CO2emissions of 137g/km.

The 200ps variant returns an average fuel consumption of 57.6mpg with a CO2output of 127g/km while towing limits are up to 2.5 tonnes.

An in-line straight-six 3.0-litre e-Skyactiv petrol engine will join the e-Skyactiv D and e-Skyactiv PHEV to complete the Mazda CX-60 powerplant line-up at a later date,

Prices for the new diesel variant are still to be confirmed although it has been announced the CX-60 PHEV will cost from £43,950 when it is released in September.

Also joining the Mazda line up next year is an even larger SUV, the CX-80, which features three rows of seating. The CX-60 diesel will be arriving in the first quarter of 2023.