Mazda confirms CX-5 replacement in Australia, but what will it be?

news7g07/18/2023

4 2 minutes read

Mazda confirms CX-5 replacement in Australia, but what will it be?

bestseller Mazda CX-5 is set to exist in Australia, but its replacement may bear a different name.

Talk to auto expert At the Australian media launch of the all-new CX-60 premium SUV, Mazda Australia Local CEO Vinesh Bhindi confirmed the successor to the company’s best-selling model for the foreseeable future, despite though it doesn’t confirm whether it continues the decade-old nameplate.

“CX-5 – there will be a next-generation model to replace it. What is it called? Let’s not argue about it,” Bhindi said cheekily.

“Last October, one of the [global] CEO confirmed that, so that’s exciting.”

Mr. Bhindi’s comments were prompted by questions around the possible expansion of the CX-60 lineup, which in the Japanese domestic market includes more affordable naturally aspirated four-cylinder gasoline and non-electrified inline six-cylinder diesel engine, priced from around the same brand like the mid-range CX-5 or the low-end CX-8.

“You have to remember that the CX-5 will co-exist and it offers some of those powertrains [i.e. 2.5-litre petrol],” said Mr Bhindi.

“So our plan is: the CX-5 will have its product and position, with the CX-60 going to step up. But all those options [for CX-60] available for our review,” he added.

When asked if the open-ended answer would suggest that the CX-50 will launch in foreign markets such as China and the US, Mr. Bhindi declined to comment further: “CX-50 already exists in the US” as his response range. .

Mazda’s best-selling model globally is CX-5 To some extent, and in Australia, it is easily the brand’s golden child on the sales charts despite its age.

In 2022, there were 27,062 Mazda CX-5s registered in Australia, making it the second best-selling SUV in the country behind archrival Toyota RAV4.

So far in 2023 (until June 30) 11,607 units have been registered, putting the CX-5 in competition with the Toyota RAV4 (13,523 units) and Mitsubishi Outlander (11,342 units) in the midsize SUV sales race. pine.

The CX-50 conceived as a logical replacement because it is based on the newer Small Architecture that underpins the Mazda 3 and CX-30, and will add a hybrid version soon have Toyota technology. However, as it stands, the CX-50 is not produced with right-hand drive.

Mazda’s second-generation CX-5 first debuted towards the end of 2016, and while billed as a new version, it’s actually a heavily reworked version of the original. exist since 2012.

One flaw in the CX-5’s product is the lack of electrification to make up for the shortcoming of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Globally, the level of electrification available is the 24V mild hybrid system fitted to the naturally aspirated petrol versions of the CX-5 in Europe and the UK.

Mr. Bhindi reiterated the company’s plans for an electrification offensive around 2024-25, which includes a combination of hybrid vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles ( BEV) across three key product architectures that also include the latest developments in petrol, diesel and, more recently, the brand’s existing turnaround offerings.

Stay tuned auto expert for all the latest.