Confirmed: Next Mazda CX-5 to add hybrid power, retain name
It's official – the next Mazda CX-5 is preparing to go hybrid, and unlike other Mazda hybrids sold overseas, it won't use Toyota technology.
The next generation of the Mazda CX-5 family SUV due as soon as next year will introduce hybrid technology designed in-house – rather than sourced from Toyota – the car maker has confirmed.
It is all but confirmed the new SUV will retain the familiar CX-5 name, rather than switch to 'CX-40' – to slot between the CX-30 and CX-50 SUVs – or another badge entirely.
The Japanese car maker announced in a financial report published late last week a "plan to equip next CX-5 with a Mazda-developed hybrid engine."
It will finally give Mazda a rival to the top-selling Toyota RAV4 Hybrid in global markets – and will represent the company's first non-plug-in hybrid vehicle designed in-house.
Arrival timing is yet to be confirmed, though Mazda Australia executives have previously indicated the new model – confirmed to be in the works last year – is due no sooner than 2025.
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Mazda sells the CX-50 – a newer, slightly-larger SUV offered in the US and China – with a hybrid option, but it uses an engine, electric motors and battery licensed from the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
The current CX-5 is offered in Europe with 'mild-hybrid' technology, which assists the petrol engine with an integrated starter generator (ISG) – but the vehicle cannot be driven on electric power alone, unlike a 'full' Toyota or Honda hybrid.
The mild-hybrid CX-5 is not sold in Australia, but the same technology has been offered locally in the Mazda 3 hatch, plus MX-30 and CX-30 SUVs, in which it has been criticised for providing negligible fuel savings.
It is unclear if the description of a "Mazda-developed hybrid engine" refers to an in-house petrol engine, electrical components, or both.
Subaru is another car company that has signed a deal to use Toyota hybrid technology – set to debut in the new Forester SUV – but it will pair a Toyota-sourced electric motor and battery with a Subaru 'boxer' four-cylinder engine.
Few other details of the next-generation Mazda CX-5 are known.
The reference to the new SUV as the "next CX-5" – rather than "CX-5 successor", or not naming it at all – in the Mazda financial report suggests it will retain the CX-5 nameplate into its next generation.
There had been suggestions the next model could adopt a new name – such as CX-40 – based on quotes from Mazda Australia executives, which opened speculation the badge had not been locked in, and the CX-5's replacement could be renamed.
Regardless, the new SUV is expected to retain the current CX-5's choice of front- and all-wheel drive – and four-cylinder engine range – rather than align with the basis of the luxury-priced Mazda CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 SUVs.
These models are underpinned by a new rear- and all-wheel-drive platform, and offer a choice of six-cylinder petrol and diesel, or four-cylinder petrol plug-in hybrid power.
Today's CX-5 is priced from approximately $36,500 to $55,000 plus on-road costs, while the larger, more expensive quartet range from around $60,000 to $95,000 before on-road costs in Australia.
The Mazda 3, CX-30 and CX-50 use a newer front- and all-wheel-drive platform than the CX-5, with a similar range of petrol and diesel engines, including the flagship 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder.
Meanwhile, Mazda has confirmed plans to double down on the CX-50 hybrid in the markets where the petrol version is sold, after the Toyota-powered SUV opened for orders in China in November 2023.
Mazda has previously indicated plans to add a hybrid CX-50 in the US, where it is manufactured in a joint-venture factory in Alabama, which also produces the Toyota Corolla Cross for North American markets.
Toyota owns five per cent of Mazda, and the two companies have previously collaborated together on shared hybrid models – including a Toyota hybrid-powered version of the previous-generation Mazda 3 in Japan.
There are still no plans to sell the Mazda CX-50 in Australia – despite interest from the company's local division – as it is only manufactured in left-hand drive.
Illustrations of new CX-5 by Theottle.
