mazda cx-4

The as-yet unrevealed Mazda CX-8 three-row crossover announced last month is not on the cards for Australia, despite our market’s overwhelming demand for SUVs Instead, the vaguely mysterious new six- and seven-seater SUV is being produced in Japan exclusively for the domestic market, where it will sit above the five-seat CX-5. This makes the CX-8 the second all-new Mazda SUV line that won’t come to Australia in very recent memory, with the low-slung CX-4 crossover restricted to China only.

The all-new Mazda CX-4 will make its international debut in production guise at the 2016 Shanghai motor show - but it won't be sold in Australia, CarAdvice can reveal. We've already covered the Mazda Koeru concept and we've seen a number of images of the production version in China - see them here - and there is good reason we've only seen it there... because it won't be sold anywhere else.

CarAdvice has learnt that a production version of the Mazda Koeru coupe-style SUV – the vehicle that is expected to wear the CX-4 badge – may be sold in China before it makes it to any other international markets.