With 153,808 units sold last year, the CX-5 was Mazda's best-selling model in North America by far. That's despite the fact the compact crossover is getting old, having been around since 2017. A new generation has now been officially confirmed. The announcement was quietly made in a document related to the company's financial results for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2024.
The only other piece of information shared by Mazda is that the third-generation model will employ a hybrid powertrain developed in-house. The Japanese brand refrained from mentioning whether it'll be a traditional hybrid or one with plug-in capabilities. It's worth noting the company has been using Toyota's hybrid know-how for some models. In China, there's a CX-50 with the Toyota RAV4's electrified bits. In the same document, Mazda says a hybrid CX-50 is planned for other markets in the second half of 2024.
When the CX-50 came out in 2022, some wondered whether the CX-5 would be retired. But as it turns out, the two models will peacefully coexist. That makes sense considering the CX-5 was nearly three and a half times more popular in North America than the CX-50 last year.
That said, we can't help but notice how the company's SUV range is getting crowded. The CX-70 and CX-90 have joined the portfolio on the new rear-wheel-drive platform with bigger inline-six engines. Although the attractive electric Mazda6 is also mentioned in the document, it’ll be sold only in China where a plug-in hybrid will be available as well.
What comes next? Mazda promises its first EV on a dedicated platform will be released in 2027, followed by a "full scale launch of EVs" from 2028 until 2030.
