The Mazda CX-5 is aging compared to the rest of its fleet, but it remains a top seller for the brand. It’s still a surprisingly engaging and well-equipped compact SUV, however, and Motor1 recently found clues that it would be getting an overhaul with a hybrid upgrade.
The publication found the hints in a recent financial filing from Mazda. Third-generation CX-5s will get a Mazda-designed hybrid system separate from the hybrids Toyota helped it develop. The automaker already sells a CX-50 with Toyota hybrid components in China, but the filing noted that the electrified SUV would expand to other markets later this year.
The CX-5 updates could also bring a nicer interior and a range of new variants, as Mazda typically offers a mind-blowing array of configurations for its SUV models. It sold more than 150,000 units last year, making it the automaker’s most popular model by a large margin, so any changes would need to be thoughtful, and the MSRP would have to stay close to the reasonable price points seen for today’s models.
Mazda no longer sells an EV in the States, following the discontinuation of the tepidly received MX-30. However, it offers several SUVs, including two with plug-in hybrid power, so it will be interesting to see how a hybrid CX-5 fits alongside a hybrid CX-50. The brand plans to release an in-house-developed EV by 2027 and a more aggressive rollout after that, but the rollercoaster of EV demand in the U.S. could easily complicate even the most well thought-out efforts.
[Image: Mazda]
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