Next-Gen Mazda SUVs Are Set for a Shake-Up
Following the reveal of the updated 2022 CX-5, which will no longer be available with front-wheel drive, Mazda has announced that all of its 2022 “CX” models are receiving the same treatment, including the CX-30 and CX-9.
There’s been a lot of news regarding the Japanese automaker’s future products, and while some of the details are still vague, one thing is clear: expect Mazda’s SUV lineup to get a shake-up, or at least a few new entries.
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A new report out of Australia claims the automaker will launch a new line of rear-wheel-drive SUVs next year, including a possible CX-5 replacement, based on a new longitudinal platform using a family of inline six-cylinder gasoline, diesel, and hybrid powertrains.
However, Mazda has denied the next CX-5 crossover would use this new architecture. That may be little more than a technicality, as Mazda is expected to launch a new SUV called the CX-50 that would ride on that new architecture and then replace the CX-5.
At this stage, it’s not entirely clear whether the CX-50 would be offered alongside the CX-5 or actually replace it. The latter is currently the automaker’s bestselling vehicle and coming off a fresh redesign. Replacing it with a significantly different and more expensive product (two extra cylinders and standard AWD or RWD make this a given) is a big gamble.
Still, Mazda effectively replaced the CX-3 with the CX-30 after a single transition year, and it’s possible the CX-9 will also become the CX-90. My expectation is that Mazda’s end-goal is to offer a wider range of SUVs (at least four or five) with the “CX-##” nomenclature. The current CX-5 could become the CX-50 or get slotted somewhere else in the next-gen Mazda SUV lineup with a different name befitting its place in the new structure.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.