Mazda is in the final stages of developing the first seven-seat version of its CX-5 and it could be revealed as early as this year's Los Angeles motor show in November, our sources have confirmed.
At the same time, Mazda had hosed down reports of a turbocharged version of its new CX-5 that could revive the brand's go-fast MPS sub-brand, and Mazda Australia continues to rule out a local release for the CX-4.
We asked Mazda Australia's new managing director Vinesh Bhindi about the local prospects of the CX-4, and he ruled out the small coupe-crossover so far sold only in China.
"CX-4 is a China-only model for the foreseeable future," he said, reiterating the fact that SUVs already account for 40 per cent of Mazda Australia sales, and previous concerns about fitting an all-new model into its current line-up of CX-3, CX-5 and CX-9 SUVs.
And contrary to reports Mazda will shoehorn the bigger CX-9's turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine into the new CX-5 to create a performance flagship that potentially revives Mazda's MPS sports sub-brand, motoring.com.au sources say a more powerful CX-5 will not eventuate this generation.
Instead, Mazda will stick with front- and all-wheel drive, 2.0- and 2.5-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel powertrain options for the new CX-5, which now comprises five model grades and 12 variants.
Mazda Australia has made no secret of its desire for a top-shelf CX-5 powered by the CX-9's 170kW/420Nm turbo engine, but even without a direct rival for Volkswagen's Tiguan 162TSI Highline, it expects the expanded CX-5 range to be even more popular than the original.
Mazda's first CX-5 was Australia's top-selling SUV and the brand's second best-selling model here, and Bhindi said its successor will play a key role in further boosting overall Mazda sales to 119,000 here this year.
Given its popularity both in Australia and globally, where the CX-5 accounts for a quarter of all sales, Mazda will not release a turbocharged CX-5 – wearing MPS badges or not – until the third-generation model appears around 2021 on an all-new SKYACTIV II platform and powered by all-new HCCI-equipped petrol engines.
Mazda has previously stated it will not revive its MPS brand — or any potential rotary-powered RX model – before it has a family of performance models ready to go, and until it has established its core (read: profitable) model line up.
However, one new CX-5 derivative that will eventuate in this generation – as early as next year in Australia – is the first seven-seat version, which we revealed the existence of back in 2015 and was again confirmed by a Japanese blog in January.
Such a vehicle would give Mazda its first direct rival for seven-seat mid-size SUVs like Honda's upcoming CR-V, Volkswagen's upcoming Tiguan Allspace, Nissan's X-TRAIL, Mitsubishi Outlander and Land Rover Discovery Sport.
We expect the all-new CX-5 seven-seater – which could be a long shot to be called the CX-6 or revive the CX-7 name – to debut at the LA show, where Mazda unveiled the new CX-5, CX-9 and CX-3.