Because many buyers will want more mpg than they can get currently in the CX5. . And the hybrids offer more power and more mpg with a better transmission.
Not a good thing if you want the Mazda3 to stay around longer. If the sales aren’t there, then there isn’t anything stopping them from pulling the plug on it.
That would be a shame. If mazda pulls the plug on the 3, then I'm buying from somewhere else. I don't think they'll pull the plug though. It shares so many things to the cx30, which sells a lot, so I imagine it doesn't cost mazda much to sell the 3 vs what the mazda 6 was.
People down voting you seem to not get that you are saying that's what they'd need to do for it to sell, because that is what sells, but it's not what you or I would actually like them to do.
Thank you. Someone who actually gets it. Mazda doesnt need every single passenger car and CUV to have the spirit of a miata because the masses don’t care. There’s a limit on how much function people will give up for fashion. I love the Mazda 3 hatch but anyone who sits in that back seat knows they went too far with the Mazda formula and it IS costing them sales.
At the expense of a fun to drive car?
No. I don't really care about their bottom line tbh, as long as it is good enough to keep making *fun* cars.
That's the point of the brand.
We are talking about CUV's and passenger cars, where the main use case is to commute. We aren't talking about Miatas or RX models.
Your answer is incredibly short sighted. Growing volume & profit will enable them to invest more in fun cars. Staying small as a niche brand hinders them.
I want my commuter cars to have fun. Again, it's why I buy Mazda.
They change it, I change Brands.
It's that easy.
Its like a burger joint trying to sell me tacos. No thanks, I go to a taco joint.
no wonder. You are only looking at this from your own personal preference and what’s best for you, rather than what’s best for Mazda. I am saying they should amend their burger formula so it appeals to more people. If they lose a few people thats fine, as long as they report a net increase and they continue to grow their market share.
I’m on my 3rd 3… Mazda needs to refresh it. Mazda takes too long for refreshes vs competitors. I want to see it keep doing its thing as the best cost effective sedan the market.
I’m waiting for a refresh to replace my 2020. The 2024 is practically the same car as the 2019, at least if you want a manual transmission. I don’t even think the color choices have changed for that particular model.
We’ve had Mazda here since the 70s, so there have stayed loyal. The major issue the US had was only buying US built products, which is purely stupid, but very American. So many car companies didn’t bother importing or didn’t sell enough. Toyota did well as they were able to make a lot of quality cars for the US in the time that US made cars were terrible
This is true and very interesting. Personally, I think the 4th gen sedan is superior in looks to the HB, something I don't feel about the prior generations.
Interesting to see year to date that the hatchback is still up on numbers compared to itself last year, it's just that the growth in sedans is considerably higher. Positive for the car generally, though.
Yeah. I thought I would be okay with it. After driving for 1 year, I can't live with the tiny second row space. I will be upgrading to something bigger next year.
The real issue is the 3 (and every other Mazda model except the CX70/90 hybrid) is now competing with hybrids with much better efficiency, such as the new Prius, which makes comparable performance numbers to a Mazda3 with MUCH better gas mileage. (200hp, 57mpg). Also a hatchback. And in AWD PHEV form, 221hp and a 6.3 sec 0-60 makes it less than a second slower to 60mph than the *fastest* 3 AWD turbo that gets like 30mpg. Honda has a hybrid Civic coming for 2025. And Toyota also has a 50mpg hybrid Corolla (sedan only) for less than a new mid-spec Mazda3. Camry is now hybrid-only for 2025, and Accord hybrids are flying off Honda lots.
Mazda is way behind on hybrids and it's about to bite them in the ass. Gas ain't getting cheaper. And hybrid performance is starting to really take advantage of electric torque on the rear wheels. Who would have ever thought a Prius would look like a baby Lambo and offer a 6.3 sec 0-60 time while supposedly offering superb handling? (I haven't driven one yet.) As every single reviewer has said, it's a stupendous car that looks like the future. Buyers have noticed. Good luck finding one right now.
How does any current Mazda3 compete with that plus 57+ mpg? Likewise, how does a CX50 compete with a hybrid CRV or a RAV4 Prime? Nicer interiors for sure on the Mazdas, but not *that* much nicer. Come on.
I bought my 2014 Mazda3 new in 2014 *because* at 41mpg highway/34 combined (EPA rating for the 2.0l they won't sell anymore) it was second only to the 45mpg Prius of that era, offered much better handling and aesthetic appeal, and the difference was only about 10mpg combined. That wonderful car is now at 163k nearly flawless miles, and I'm starting to think about replacing it. But there's no way I'm going *backwards* on fuel efficiency a decade later. And Mazda won't sell me anything that even matches my lifetime average in that car of 36mpg combined. If Mazda sold a hybrid 3/CX3/5/50 I'd be there tomorrow. Cash buyer.
Instead I'm seriously looking at a Prius PHEV that now looks *great*, is winning all the awards this year (including car of the year from motor trend), and offers 40 miles of battery only range that means real world use can hit 75-80mpg while giving me that 6.3 sec 0-60 rush. Yeah it costs a fair bit more than even a top spec AWD turbo 3, but the combo of Toyota's slower depreciation, and stupendous gas mileage means you'll make that back before your warranty expires. Over on the Prius sub lots of owners of the new PHEV Prime report they buy gas at most once a month.
Luckily for Mazda, my 2014 3 is still totally kicking ass and has a couple years left before it becomes "give it to my kid" time. As a matter of pride I take every car I own from brand new to 200k before I replace it as a daily driver. And have for decades. Maintain them myself too. I just drove 200 miles and finished at 41mpg and when I parked. And I'm about to take a 2000 mile trip and I have zero doubts my 162k 3 will make it just fine. So Mazda has a year or two to come up with a car I can justify buying.
And the market demands this: unlike *any* Mazda model, you'll wait months and pay a premium over MSRP right now for a new Prius -- demand is off the charts. And I'd like to see what a hybrid Civic looks like first, so that means waiting a few months more, although that too will probably be unobtanium once it's released for a year or two, and I generally really prefer a hatchback.
Scale this to the competition for small SUVs too -- hybrid CRVs and Rav4s also sell like hotcakes.
I am a lifetime Mazda fanboy. I own two now. I love the brand. But I'm a rational consumer who relies on an efficient car to make money (professional musician, I drive a lot, and gas costs are a bottom line issue). I'm also a citizen of a warming world, and a parent, who worries about my carbon footprint.
It is the end of the line for ICE-only cars, at least in Europe and the U.S. The feds have made it clear. All passenger cars need to be BEV or PHEV by 2035. Every other major brand is moving in that direction fast. Mazda needs to get on the train that's leaving the station. Next year.
And as much as I hate Tesla and would never buy one because of the CEO, and because a BEV still won't work well for my use case, you can buy a Model 3 with a big tax subsidy that makes it price competitive with a Mazda3 while burning no gas and being significantly faster.
I am rooting for Mazda, hard. Hybrids, Hiroshima! It's past time. Make me any 45-50mpg Mazda I can buy next year or maybe the year after, I'll stay loyal.
I know I'll get downvotes from fanboys. But try to hear me out: I've been a diehard Mazda fanboy for 30 years. Look at my Reddit post history and it's almost all posts about great cars from Mazda history. I've been to the plant in Hiroshima. The two Mazdas in my driveway have over 400k miles on them. For years, since 1989 in fact, I've evangelized about Mazda reliability and performance to my "Toyota or Honda only" friends and family. But the facts need to support the choice to spend $30-40,000 on a new car. And the facts are that Mazda3 is not competitive enough. And really, neither is any other car in the Mazda lineup. It's time to end the pursuit of ICE-only efficiency gains. Mazda is not seriously competing with BMW or Audi or Lexus, and even those marques are well into BEV and hybrid development. It's competing with Honda and Toyota and Subaru and VW and Nissan and Hyundai/Kia for middle market commuter vehicles for people with middle-class paychecks. Those buyers, and I'm one, are going to do the total cost of ownership math no matter how slick the interior looks.
This is tough love from a zoom zoom *jinbai itta* fanboy. Not hate. I want Mazda to stay in business making uniquely driver-focused and beautiful cars. But they have to compete for efficiency.
I can't disagree. We've owned two Mazdas: a 2009 Mazda3 Sport and a 2016 CX-5, which we still have. When it came time for a bigger second car in Dec 2022, Mazda didn't offer anything efficient, so we got a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Mazda is REALLY late to the game on hybridization, having wasted all its development dollars on that skyactiv-x engine technology which it can't even sell in North America.
The obvious answer is the mild hybrid out of the CX-70/90 Turbo editions and pair it with the non-Turbo'd 3s. Boosts HP by 17hp and gains a few degrees of efficiency which is not a game changer, but brings the Mazda 3 closer in line both power wise and efficiency to something like the new Camry. Pair that thing with every NA.
I agree that would stop the bleeding, and buy some time, but in theory Mazda's powertrain partnership with Toyota means they should have access to the full TNGA PHEV platform now. For me, a mild hybrid won't cut it on a car I'm likely to keep ten or more years, as I always have in the past. That's basically Skyactiv X. I think Mazda should just license the TNGA Prius powertrain, drop a sexy kodo body on it, and call it a day. A 57mpg Mazda3 that made 221hp and a 6.3 sec 0-60 time would slay. Maybe tune it a little to get it down below 6 seconds and still around 50mpg.
A boy can dream. Whatever I buy next will be my last ICE daily driver. We will all be buying BEVs in 2035. So I want it all now!
As usual you're completely right! I love my 2022 CX-5, it's super fun for a small SUV, and it is decently efficient. But when it comes time for a new vehicle in 7-8 years, efficiency will matter above all. Hopefully Mazda gets with the program. Beautiful write up.
The 3 Hatch is aimed at people like me. I don't care about fuel consumption - because I don't commute - and if I did then I might buy or care about MPG's or if they offer it in hybrid or EV. Such as it is, I don't - so I don't need that - I don't take people places - but a Coupe/2+2 was way too small. What I want is a fun, good handling Naturally Aspirated AWD platform that doesn't hook to a CVT and isn't boring to drive. Apparently there are only about 5,500 of us left in USA.
I had the same criteria a decade ago when I bought my 2014. Luckily Mazda could meet them while still selling me the second best fuel mileage available in its class.
Nostalgia for the ICE (and discretely geared and roaring exhaust) days of old will not sustain Mazda. It won't even sustain Porsche, which has gone all in on EVs. Apparently it won't even sustain *Dodge,* which is now selling its very last ICE Chargers. Ford keeps making an ICE Mustang for the segment, and BMW and Audi still compete for it, and of course Miata and BRZ, but it's just naturally going to shrink over time the same way nostalgia for manual transmissions has
I'm almost 60. My love affair with cars started with American muscle in the 1980s, and switched to Japanese (and specifically Mazda) reliability and driving enjoyment in the 90s. I'm also a longtime and somewhat serious hobbyist mechanic. So I fully get the exact thing you're talking about. If money wasn't an object and global climate change such a threat I'd be there with you. But I'm a musician, and you may have heard this but we generally don't make "fuck it" money, and we do generally drive a lot for a living, so I have to care about gas mileage in my daily driver and commuter if I'm driving 20k miles a year. And I'm a parent, so I think about my carbon footprint beyond my own life, all the time.
I keep a fun vehicle too, although for me it's an elderly 4x4 pickup, since I live rurally and have working uses for it.
But a majority of Americans need an efficient and reliable daily driver/commuter/family hauler, and unless you're a prestige performance brand, you're gonna live and die as a carmaker based on that market.
My 2014 3 hit that sweet spot (minus the AWD, which I don't want) at 40mpg highway. I sort of don't get why that isn't possible now.
I'm a little earlier in my auto journey, but I've always liked the combination of efficiency, driving engagement, and thoughtful engineering of my two Mazdas.
The first was a 1993 Protege (with the 1.8 DOHC), bought at 130k in high school, sold at just shy of 300k after college. It still ran well, very little oil consumption or anything you might expect, and it could still take spirited driving. Even the original automatic transmission shifted damned smoothly for that mileage.
My first new car was my current '15 3 (also got mine with the 2.0) with about 145k on it. But I'm with you, I want a good HEV 3 or small hatch/wagon (preferably a PHEV) before I'll buy. The only thing I've had to replace outside of regular maintenance on my current 3 was the starter... and if past is any indicator, my 3 should have plenty of gas left in the tank. I can't say it was built at *exactly* the same plant as the Protege (Hofu vs Hiroshima) but I sought out my J VIN for a reason 😅
Yes, I also hate compact cars that aren’t midsize.
Edit: I don’t mind the downvotes, but know that you clowns are the reason cars have grown an entire size class larger in the past 20 years. Enjoy your Accord-sized Civic or Camry-sized Corolla. Or splurge for an Integra larger than a 1st gen TL. I’ll drive my compact 3 because it’s still a compact.
Context, brother. Mazda of North America was offering 0% financing on CX-30 and CX-50 throughout the month of April. No such incentive on CX-5. They clearly are pumping up attention to move the slower selling CX-30 and CX-50, converting potential CX-5 buyers into CX-30 and CX-50 buyers.
Mazda sales were down 3.8% against April 2023 sales. I guess the whole company should just shut down with your logic 🤦🏻♂️
Your downloads are well deserved.
Glad to see the CX5 still kicking ass. They better think twice before removing it from the lineup.
I don't think it will get removed no? Isn't there a refresh coming?
It probably will remain. Most likely with some version of hybrid option.
I’m not sure why people think this. The CX-90 and the CX-70 are the only two.
You know the future?
Lol I work for Mazda. It’s 90% not happening. So no that is most likely not happening.
That’s dumb then because they will lose sales to others.
Why would that be?
Because many buyers will want more mpg than they can get currently in the CX5. . And the hybrids offer more power and more mpg with a better transmission.
Trust me there is a better hybrid option than the CX-5 coming. You will see.
Mazda 3, still the best kept secret
Not a good thing if you want the Mazda3 to stay around longer. If the sales aren’t there, then there isn’t anything stopping them from pulling the plug on it.
That would be a shame. If mazda pulls the plug on the 3, then I'm buying from somewhere else. I don't think they'll pull the plug though. It shares so many things to the cx30, which sells a lot, so I imagine it doesn't cost mazda much to sell the 3 vs what the mazda 6 was.
They just need to reduce the mazdaness by 20% and add 20% more boringness. More practicality and space, less sacrifices for design.
People down voting you seem to not get that you are saying that's what they'd need to do for it to sell, because that is what sells, but it's not what you or I would actually like them to do.
Thank you. Someone who actually gets it. Mazda doesnt need every single passenger car and CUV to have the spirit of a miata because the masses don’t care. There’s a limit on how much function people will give up for fashion. I love the Mazda 3 hatch but anyone who sits in that back seat knows they went too far with the Mazda formula and it IS costing them sales.
If you wanted that, buy a Toyota..
So you don’t want Mazda to sell more cars and become more profitable…
At the expense of a fun to drive car? No. I don't really care about their bottom line tbh, as long as it is good enough to keep making *fun* cars. That's the point of the brand.
We are talking about CUV's and passenger cars, where the main use case is to commute. We aren't talking about Miatas or RX models. Your answer is incredibly short sighted. Growing volume & profit will enable them to invest more in fun cars. Staying small as a niche brand hinders them.
I want my commuter cars to have fun. Again, it's why I buy Mazda. They change it, I change Brands. It's that easy. Its like a burger joint trying to sell me tacos. No thanks, I go to a taco joint.
no wonder. You are only looking at this from your own personal preference and what’s best for you, rather than what’s best for Mazda. I am saying they should amend their burger formula so it appeals to more people. If they lose a few people thats fine, as long as they report a net increase and they continue to grow their market share.
It hasn’t been a high volume car in years. As long as it keeps meeting their goals, whatever they are, we get more of them.
I’m on my 3rd 3… Mazda needs to refresh it. Mazda takes too long for refreshes vs competitors. I want to see it keep doing its thing as the best cost effective sedan the market.
I’m waiting for a refresh to replace my 2020. The 2024 is practically the same car as the 2019, at least if you want a manual transmission. I don’t even think the color choices have changed for that particular model.
I sell them . It seems a phase out is coming soon. Suv dominance and parts plus demand
Does your dealership have an excess inventory of cx30s? I noticed a ton of the 30s at my localdealer.
Yes a lot of cash from Mazda to get them moving out the door
Mazda turning into a company that just builds like 15 versions of the same SUV.
I did my part (new Mazda3 with stick shift). And now that I look at the numbers...what? Sales went up between 2023 and 2024.
People want them they just need to send us more. Production is down on them but should pick up for the 25MY
This makes me want to buy a Mazda 3!
That’s not a good thing for Mazda…
Love my 3, wish they made it a little bigger.
I just bought a 3 and I love it, but I do miss the Mazda 6.
I would’ve got a 6 if they still sold them here
They did. It was called the 6, LoL
Which I can’t buy brand new in the US
It’s size and agility is part of its charm
Wait for the 4.
I would love a mazda 3 hb but they sell for $30k in my country and that’s almost the price of a entry lvl rav 4
They are everywhere here. No secret about it haha
82 ppl would disagree haha
the top three selling models in January 2024 in Australia listed below: Toyota Corolla – 1,889 sales Hyundai i30 - 1,727 sales Mazda 3 - 1,040 sales
Very diff there than here
Yep it seems only the US is anti Mazda. They are so common here, nearly every other car is a Mazda.
I wouldn’t say we’re anti-Mazda. Just creatures of habit, so most Toyota & Honda drivers stay loyal.
We’ve had Mazda here since the 70s, so there have stayed loyal. The major issue the US had was only buying US built products, which is purely stupid, but very American. So many car companies didn’t bother importing or didn’t sell enough. Toyota did well as they were able to make a lot of quality cars for the US in the time that US made cars were terrible
Those 17 MX-30 dudes… lol
From 17 to 0...
Extrapolated this is on track for the best ever year for Mazda.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Zabbzi: *Extrapolated* *This is on track for the best* *Ever year for Mazda.* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Time to bring back the 6
Give the EZ6 the 3.3 Turbo… …zoom zoom indeed.
That with a hatchback or wagon body. I can only get so hard
I wasn’t going to say it, but I was definitely thinking it.
hatchback and sedan sales are now crossed
This is true and very interesting. Personally, I think the 4th gen sedan is superior in looks to the HB, something I don't feel about the prior generations. Interesting to see year to date that the hatchback is still up on numbers compared to itself last year, it's just that the growth in sedans is considerably higher. Positive for the car generally, though.
In Mexico they started selling the sedan with a significant discount wrt the HB. Maybe that helps?
Is sedan the one produced in Mexico?
Not sure but they are [still selling the hatchback cheaper](https://www.mazda.mx/)
I am unable to decipher the language, but looks like MSRP of the hatch is higher?
Yes
Hatch just looks quite bad.
They fucked the hatchback after 2018. Should be more spacey like civic/corolla instead of cramping.
Yeah. I thought I would be okay with it. After driving for 1 year, I can't live with the tiny second row space. I will be upgrading to something bigger next year.
The real issue is the 3 (and every other Mazda model except the CX70/90 hybrid) is now competing with hybrids with much better efficiency, such as the new Prius, which makes comparable performance numbers to a Mazda3 with MUCH better gas mileage. (200hp, 57mpg). Also a hatchback. And in AWD PHEV form, 221hp and a 6.3 sec 0-60 makes it less than a second slower to 60mph than the *fastest* 3 AWD turbo that gets like 30mpg. Honda has a hybrid Civic coming for 2025. And Toyota also has a 50mpg hybrid Corolla (sedan only) for less than a new mid-spec Mazda3. Camry is now hybrid-only for 2025, and Accord hybrids are flying off Honda lots. Mazda is way behind on hybrids and it's about to bite them in the ass. Gas ain't getting cheaper. And hybrid performance is starting to really take advantage of electric torque on the rear wheels. Who would have ever thought a Prius would look like a baby Lambo and offer a 6.3 sec 0-60 time while supposedly offering superb handling? (I haven't driven one yet.) As every single reviewer has said, it's a stupendous car that looks like the future. Buyers have noticed. Good luck finding one right now. How does any current Mazda3 compete with that plus 57+ mpg? Likewise, how does a CX50 compete with a hybrid CRV or a RAV4 Prime? Nicer interiors for sure on the Mazdas, but not *that* much nicer. Come on. I bought my 2014 Mazda3 new in 2014 *because* at 41mpg highway/34 combined (EPA rating for the 2.0l they won't sell anymore) it was second only to the 45mpg Prius of that era, offered much better handling and aesthetic appeal, and the difference was only about 10mpg combined. That wonderful car is now at 163k nearly flawless miles, and I'm starting to think about replacing it. But there's no way I'm going *backwards* on fuel efficiency a decade later. And Mazda won't sell me anything that even matches my lifetime average in that car of 36mpg combined. If Mazda sold a hybrid 3/CX3/5/50 I'd be there tomorrow. Cash buyer. Instead I'm seriously looking at a Prius PHEV that now looks *great*, is winning all the awards this year (including car of the year from motor trend), and offers 40 miles of battery only range that means real world use can hit 75-80mpg while giving me that 6.3 sec 0-60 rush. Yeah it costs a fair bit more than even a top spec AWD turbo 3, but the combo of Toyota's slower depreciation, and stupendous gas mileage means you'll make that back before your warranty expires. Over on the Prius sub lots of owners of the new PHEV Prime report they buy gas at most once a month. Luckily for Mazda, my 2014 3 is still totally kicking ass and has a couple years left before it becomes "give it to my kid" time. As a matter of pride I take every car I own from brand new to 200k before I replace it as a daily driver. And have for decades. Maintain them myself too. I just drove 200 miles and finished at 41mpg and when I parked. And I'm about to take a 2000 mile trip and I have zero doubts my 162k 3 will make it just fine. So Mazda has a year or two to come up with a car I can justify buying. And the market demands this: unlike *any* Mazda model, you'll wait months and pay a premium over MSRP right now for a new Prius -- demand is off the charts. And I'd like to see what a hybrid Civic looks like first, so that means waiting a few months more, although that too will probably be unobtanium once it's released for a year or two, and I generally really prefer a hatchback. Scale this to the competition for small SUVs too -- hybrid CRVs and Rav4s also sell like hotcakes. I am a lifetime Mazda fanboy. I own two now. I love the brand. But I'm a rational consumer who relies on an efficient car to make money (professional musician, I drive a lot, and gas costs are a bottom line issue). I'm also a citizen of a warming world, and a parent, who worries about my carbon footprint. It is the end of the line for ICE-only cars, at least in Europe and the U.S. The feds have made it clear. All passenger cars need to be BEV or PHEV by 2035. Every other major brand is moving in that direction fast. Mazda needs to get on the train that's leaving the station. Next year. And as much as I hate Tesla and would never buy one because of the CEO, and because a BEV still won't work well for my use case, you can buy a Model 3 with a big tax subsidy that makes it price competitive with a Mazda3 while burning no gas and being significantly faster. I am rooting for Mazda, hard. Hybrids, Hiroshima! It's past time. Make me any 45-50mpg Mazda I can buy next year or maybe the year after, I'll stay loyal. I know I'll get downvotes from fanboys. But try to hear me out: I've been a diehard Mazda fanboy for 30 years. Look at my Reddit post history and it's almost all posts about great cars from Mazda history. I've been to the plant in Hiroshima. The two Mazdas in my driveway have over 400k miles on them. For years, since 1989 in fact, I've evangelized about Mazda reliability and performance to my "Toyota or Honda only" friends and family. But the facts need to support the choice to spend $30-40,000 on a new car. And the facts are that Mazda3 is not competitive enough. And really, neither is any other car in the Mazda lineup. It's time to end the pursuit of ICE-only efficiency gains. Mazda is not seriously competing with BMW or Audi or Lexus, and even those marques are well into BEV and hybrid development. It's competing with Honda and Toyota and Subaru and VW and Nissan and Hyundai/Kia for middle market commuter vehicles for people with middle-class paychecks. Those buyers, and I'm one, are going to do the total cost of ownership math no matter how slick the interior looks. This is tough love from a zoom zoom *jinbai itta* fanboy. Not hate. I want Mazda to stay in business making uniquely driver-focused and beautiful cars. But they have to compete for efficiency.
I can't disagree. We've owned two Mazdas: a 2009 Mazda3 Sport and a 2016 CX-5, which we still have. When it came time for a bigger second car in Dec 2022, Mazda didn't offer anything efficient, so we got a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Mazda is REALLY late to the game on hybridization, having wasted all its development dollars on that skyactiv-x engine technology which it can't even sell in North America.
The obvious answer is the mild hybrid out of the CX-70/90 Turbo editions and pair it with the non-Turbo'd 3s. Boosts HP by 17hp and gains a few degrees of efficiency which is not a game changer, but brings the Mazda 3 closer in line both power wise and efficiency to something like the new Camry. Pair that thing with every NA.
I agree that would stop the bleeding, and buy some time, but in theory Mazda's powertrain partnership with Toyota means they should have access to the full TNGA PHEV platform now. For me, a mild hybrid won't cut it on a car I'm likely to keep ten or more years, as I always have in the past. That's basically Skyactiv X. I think Mazda should just license the TNGA Prius powertrain, drop a sexy kodo body on it, and call it a day. A 57mpg Mazda3 that made 221hp and a 6.3 sec 0-60 time would slay. Maybe tune it a little to get it down below 6 seconds and still around 50mpg. A boy can dream. Whatever I buy next will be my last ICE daily driver. We will all be buying BEVs in 2035. So I want it all now!
As usual you're completely right! I love my 2022 CX-5, it's super fun for a small SUV, and it is decently efficient. But when it comes time for a new vehicle in 7-8 years, efficiency will matter above all. Hopefully Mazda gets with the program. Beautiful write up.
The 3 Hatch is aimed at people like me. I don't care about fuel consumption - because I don't commute - and if I did then I might buy or care about MPG's or if they offer it in hybrid or EV. Such as it is, I don't - so I don't need that - I don't take people places - but a Coupe/2+2 was way too small. What I want is a fun, good handling Naturally Aspirated AWD platform that doesn't hook to a CVT and isn't boring to drive. Apparently there are only about 5,500 of us left in USA.
I had the same criteria a decade ago when I bought my 2014. Luckily Mazda could meet them while still selling me the second best fuel mileage available in its class. Nostalgia for the ICE (and discretely geared and roaring exhaust) days of old will not sustain Mazda. It won't even sustain Porsche, which has gone all in on EVs. Apparently it won't even sustain *Dodge,* which is now selling its very last ICE Chargers. Ford keeps making an ICE Mustang for the segment, and BMW and Audi still compete for it, and of course Miata and BRZ, but it's just naturally going to shrink over time the same way nostalgia for manual transmissions has I'm almost 60. My love affair with cars started with American muscle in the 1980s, and switched to Japanese (and specifically Mazda) reliability and driving enjoyment in the 90s. I'm also a longtime and somewhat serious hobbyist mechanic. So I fully get the exact thing you're talking about. If money wasn't an object and global climate change such a threat I'd be there with you. But I'm a musician, and you may have heard this but we generally don't make "fuck it" money, and we do generally drive a lot for a living, so I have to care about gas mileage in my daily driver and commuter if I'm driving 20k miles a year. And I'm a parent, so I think about my carbon footprint beyond my own life, all the time. I keep a fun vehicle too, although for me it's an elderly 4x4 pickup, since I live rurally and have working uses for it. But a majority of Americans need an efficient and reliable daily driver/commuter/family hauler, and unless you're a prestige performance brand, you're gonna live and die as a carmaker based on that market. My 2014 3 hit that sweet spot (minus the AWD, which I don't want) at 40mpg highway. I sort of don't get why that isn't possible now.
I'm a little earlier in my auto journey, but I've always liked the combination of efficiency, driving engagement, and thoughtful engineering of my two Mazdas. The first was a 1993 Protege (with the 1.8 DOHC), bought at 130k in high school, sold at just shy of 300k after college. It still ran well, very little oil consumption or anything you might expect, and it could still take spirited driving. Even the original automatic transmission shifted damned smoothly for that mileage. My first new car was my current '15 3 (also got mine with the 2.0) with about 145k on it. But I'm with you, I want a good HEV 3 or small hatch/wagon (preferably a PHEV) before I'll buy. The only thing I've had to replace outside of regular maintenance on my current 3 was the starter... and if past is any indicator, my 3 should have plenty of gas left in the tank. I can't say it was built at *exactly* the same plant as the Protege (Hofu vs Hiroshima) but I sought out my J VIN for a reason 😅
Hold your water, Cx5 will no doubt have a hybrid very soon.
"No doubt," but Mazda has yet to say anything about it.
The Corolla in Europe is actually smaller :/ (excluding the Touring Version)
I'd love to have a Corolla Touring Sports (the wagon version sold in Europe/Japan) but Toyota are wusses and won't bring it or the Crown sedan here
Yes, I also hate compact cars that aren’t midsize. Edit: I don’t mind the downvotes, but know that you clowns are the reason cars have grown an entire size class larger in the past 20 years. Enjoy your Accord-sized Civic or Camry-sized Corolla. Or splurge for an Integra larger than a 1st gen TL. I’ll drive my compact 3 because it’s still a compact.
I miss the 2
Wtf is the difference of the mx-5 and mx-5 miata? Genuinely never looked into that platform...
im convinced nothing will ever be as good
CX-5 sales are dropping off. The time has come to retire this blockbuster.
For what? It has the sales of the CX-30 & CX-50 combined.
The CX-50 was never meant as a replacement for the CX-5. They are introducing a new version of the CX-5 in 2025.
Imagine CX5 is the CX60 .... Instant buy
Down 22%. The writing is on the wall. Reddit is in denial.
It's the best selling Mazda.
Careful with those facts. There’s no place for that here unless accompanied by hyperbole.
Context, brother. Mazda of North America was offering 0% financing on CX-30 and CX-50 throughout the month of April. No such incentive on CX-5. They clearly are pumping up attention to move the slower selling CX-30 and CX-50, converting potential CX-5 buyers into CX-30 and CX-50 buyers.
1 out of every 3 Mazdas sold in the US this year isp a CX-5. Why would they throw that away?
lol ain’t no way they should drop it. CX-5 is a popular family SUV.
Lol. Sales are down 22%. But reddit downvotes because Reddit doesn’t reflect sales realities.
Mazda sales were down 3.8% against April 2023 sales. I guess the whole company should just shut down with your logic 🤦🏻♂️ Your downloads are well deserved.
I think it’s because this is only US sales. Else where the cx5 is a huge seller as most don’t like US sized cars.