Look, I get that most of you don’t really like this whole crossover vehicle craze. But the facts are CUVs pay the bills, and if we want automakers like Mazda to have the R&D funds to focus on enthusiast cars they’ve got to move CUVs. Mazda says they have a new CUV in the works that will likely slot between the CX-5 and CX-9.
According to Automotive News, Mazda is not doing so well in terms of hitting their sales targets. One of the best ways to fix that is to shift to more vehicles that people want to buy, that means crossovers. As of now, Mazda sells, the CX-3, CX-5 and CX-9. The automaker sees a gap in the lineup where the CX-7 once occupied.
AutoNews spoke with Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai about using an all-new crossover to eventually reach his target of 400,000 units sold in the American market.
From the story -
“We have big expectations...This is our declaration that we are going to grow our business in the U.S.. We are actually going to introduce a totally new and different type of SUV...R&D is coordinating with our North American operations on that right now.”
The new car is slated to debut as a 2021 model year, but don’t get your hopes up for something like the Mazda CX-4 sold in other markets that resembles a lifted Mazda6 wagon. Kogai stressed this is an all-new vehicle for America.
However, odds are good that the new CUV will be some kind of middle ground between the athletic but underpowered CX-5 and the three-row CX-9. A mid-size two-row crossover, possibly powered by Mazda’s 2.5-liter turbocharged motor, could do battle with similar cars like the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano.
Remember when everyone gave Porsche crap for making the Cayenne? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Porsche’s crossovers and SUVs make them a crap ton of money. That profit means more cool cars for people like us.
Given Mazda’s size, they need all the market share they can get so they can keep cranking out cars like the Miata and Mazda3 that don’t have a ton of profit baked in but make life worth living.