Will we see a new-generation Mazda CX-3 small SUV?
What an Australian success story the Mazda CX-3 is.
It’s been our ideal-promoting gentle SUV since its January 2015 introduction; is the third ideal-promoting car in Mazda’s line-up and has elegant been proficient a refresh for 2024.
However there’s a fairly awkward elephant within the room.
The mannequin, in its fresh technology, is eight years feeble. That’s a lifetime in SUV world.
And a long way like the Mazda 2 it’s in conserving with (itself a 9-twelve months-feeble mannequin), while you happen to peep or seek knowledge from about knowledge on an all-unique CX-3, all you hear are crickets.
Australia loves the CX-3, but the leisure of the arena isn’t as enamoured. And that come Mazda’s head set of dwelling of labor appears to be like in no lumber to counsel a brand unique technology is nigh.
Might possibly well perchance even the mannequin of course be facing the tip of the boulevard? If Japan called time on the CX-3 it’d be a serious loss to our native line-up, but Mazda Australia can handiest promote autos Japan decides to gain.
Why is the Mazda CX-3 potentially under menace?
Those of us who’ve been around the industry a truly long time know that no news is on the total no longer staunch news by come of a mannequin’s survival.
The CX-3 used to be discontinued within the US and Europe at the tip of 2021, where the CX-30 used to be deemed its pure successor. In Australia, the pricier, roomier Mazda 3-essentially based completely mostly CX-30 diminutive SUV sells alongside the CX-3, with every returning carefully matched sales figures of around 1000 month-to-month.
In our market, appetite clearly stays for every.
Addressing every the Mazda 2 and CX-3, Mazda Australia’s product director Alastair Doak told Chasing Cars: “They’re the biggest segment of our line-up, and we’d like to give them for so long as they’re accessible to us.”
Doak mentioned he couldn’t resolution if unique technology 2s and CX-3s were in pattern, but mentioned in future “if they’re no longer accessible to us then we might discontinuance something varied.
We’ve got CX-30 there which is a pure step, and there’s some pricing crossover between CX-3 and CX-30, so we are in a position to quilt a few that already.”
As a outcome of its age, the CX-3 now has no ANCAP security ranking. It secured a maximum 5 huge title outcome in 2015, but ANCAP’s time limitations since the take a look at come this expired in December 2022. There are no longer any plans to re-take a look at one, either.
Is there scope for a CX-20 metropolis SUV?
The CX-20 badge would slot in nicely under the larger, more fresh CX-double digit SUVs in Mazda’s line-up.
Top Equipment within the Philippines, for instance, fair at this time reported the CX-20 title had been trademarked there.
As quite a lot of the buying world has an insatiable appetite for any create of SUV over a passenger car identical, there’s a bigger commerce case for a CX-20-form metropolis SUV over a less in-vogue Mazda 2 hatch and sedan.
The United States would seemingly swerve it. “The CX-3 used to be possibly viewed as bodily fairly diminutive for them,” Doak urged about its downfall there. However Europe, with its penchant for diminutive offerings, would seemingly embrace it.
The UK’s fresh Mazda 2 is fair a re-badged Toyota Yaris. Might possibly well perchance even the similar happen with a metropolis SUV? Perhaps a CX-3 or CX-20 moniker might land on a Yaris Unfavorable if the 2 Eastern brands proceed their automobile address-in.
Then there’s the electrical ask. Would a diminutive Mazda SUV EV be the smarter offering within the fresh native weather, especially with Europe’s strict emissions targets in mind?
Does Mazda serene need cheap autos?
In 2019 you will aquire a front-power, manual transmission CX-3 Neo Sport for $21,790 forward of on-roads.
Four years later and the auto CX-3 Sport’s most payment-efficient at $26,800, that come you will now no longer power away Mazda’s smallest SUV for under $30,000.
These increased costs accompany the CX-3’s 2024 Mannequin twelve months updates, whereas the fluctuate has been trimmed to exclude manual and all-wheel-power variants.
That come fee of entry accurate into a CX-3 is up a corpulent $3290 over forward of.
Goodies like 16-crawl alloys, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and improved security tools are sweeteners, but metropolis SUV investors on a funds might now migrate to a Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic or Suzuki Ignis, all of which is ready to now be had for around $5000 decrease than a CX-3.
If the CX-3 were to ultimately be culled, entry to Mazda’s SUV fluctuate might be the CX-30 G20 Pure at $30,610. This could potentially exclude many first car investors who’d no longer be ready to acquire the cash for a brand unique Mazda, scuppering the chance to contain designate loyalty.
“It (CX-3) remains to be top seller within the gentle SUV section, and we furthermore obtain out about with our have confidence inner knowledge it’s by a long way the most desired in that class for folks which indulge in possibilities at that fee point and dimension SUV,” Doak explained. “And it continues into the future, completely.”
However this might very nicely be out of Mazda Australia’s hands. They can handiest promote what Mazda builds, and the CX-3’s future appears to be like foggy indeed.
Source credit : chasingcars.com.au
