2027 Mazda CX-70 and CX-90 upgrades on the cards as Toyota rival dubs Australia a 'tough environment' with BYD and Chery surging in sales charts

The extent of Mazda’s transforming business has been made evident in its latest quarterly financial report which details global sales up until March of 2026.

Key takeaways from the report include Mazda pinning much of its future global growth on the launch of its Chinese-built electric duo of the Mazda 6e liftback and CX-6e SUV, with the incoming next-generation CX-3 also predicted to be a big driver for markets like South East Asia and Australia in 2027.

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The company spent minimal time on the results for its large platform vehicles (CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90) which were previously a big investment for Mazda in moving to a semi-premium price space, debuting a new rear-drive architecture and family of inline-six engines.

The CX-70 and CX-90 were both down significantly in the North American market they were expressly designed for.

The company said the CX-60, however, had been performing notably well in Australia, up 13 per cent year-on-year, against the backdrop of a 22 per cent decline year-on-year.

Mazda global calls out challenges in Australia

Mazda’s global operation described Australia as a “tough environment” citing strong demand for “low-priced battery EVs and HEVs amid rising fuel prices,” alluding to cut-price Chinese rivals leaping up the sales charts.

Again, the company called out the 6e and CX-6e as a particular vector for “expanding sales” in Australia as models which meet “market demand and environmental regulations.”

Australia has long been one of Mazda’s strongest markets globally, although our market’s influence looks to be waning as the Japanese brand’s share shrinks in the face of said “tough” conditions.

For the first quarter of 2026, which this global report details, Mazda’s sales in Australia amounted to 19,000 units, down 22 per cent, while the brand’s sales in China were headed in the opposite direction, up one per cent to 18,000 units year-on-year.

Meanwhile in Europe, which also depends on electric sales of the Chinese-built electric models, sales were up significantly to 43,000 units, more than doubling the brand’s tally in Australia over the same time period.

With Mazda’s China operation soon to overtake Australia, and its European operation in significant growth, the company may shift its priorities away from our market as it senses growth to be had elsewhere.

Next-gen CX-3 and hybrid CX-5 to boost local hopes in 2027 and 2028

The USA, which is Mazda’s largest market, is also up but largely due to the domestically built CX-50 hybrid which does heavy lifting in dodging a challenging tariff environment and coming with an in-demand plugless hybrid drivetrain.

After the launch of the CX-6e in Australia imminently which is priced from a competitive $53,990, before on-road costs, Mazda will bridge the gap to the long-awaited CX-5 hybrid with the next-generation CX-3 small SUV.

The company reiterated in its financial results that CX-3 production will begin in Thailand before the end of the year and will go on sale in markets like Australia in early 2027.

Mazda CX-70 and CX-90 not living up to sales expectations

As to Mazda’s larger models, the brand acknowledged the need to put them back on track if it wants to replicate the success of models like the CX-7 and CX-9 which they replaced at a more premium price-point.

The company’s North American CFO said the large SUV situation is “not acceptable” in comments reported by industry source Automotive News, adding deeper upgrades would be on the way to make the CX-70 and CX-90 specifically more competitive.

Details on what these upgrades may include or when they might arrive for the Japan-built pair are yet to be confirmed.

Locally, the CX-60 is down 7.0 per cent year-on-year according to more recent local VFACTs numbers, with Mazda introducing price tweaks and a new base G25 four-cylinder variant to the range in order to increase its appeal.

The CX-80, the smaller of the two three-row options in the range is also performing decently after a significant price cut earlier this year, while the CX-70 and CX-90 are also languishing in our sales charts despite also receiving price adjustments.