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Mazda's best shot at taking down the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is shaping up, with recent spy pictures inspiring new Mazda CX-5 Hybrid renders that have the next-gen SUV looking sleek and sexy.
Expected to arrive next year – and go into production in late 2025 – the next-gen CX-5 has already been spied in the USA, which has inspired these renders, published to scoop site AutoEvolution.
In them, we see a vehicle that's more evolution than revolution, though with an exterior design more tied to the brand's modern CX-0 designs.
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The brand has already confirmed the CX-5 will feature a game-changing in-house hybrid powertrain that will push the model closer to the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid than ever before. Mazda actually borrows Toyota's tech in some international models, it will go it alone in what is arguably its most important vehicle.
In fact, Japanese outlet Best Car has already unearthed what it reports to be Mazda's hybrid patents, which show a four-cylinder engine paired with two electric motors, a power control unit and a high-voltage battery.
In Mazda's design, the control module is housed right on top of the e-motor, meaning a smaller, lighter setup.
Australia CEO, Vinesh Bhindi, has also confirmed its most popular SUV will remain within reach of mainstream buyers, rather than follow the CX-0 family upmarket.
Asked whether the brand is committed to the new CX-5 remaining an accessible product that will sit below the CX-60, Mr Bhindi told us: "Absolutely", which suggests it would have to slot below the new CX-60 Pure, which would likely mean a price in the $40-$50k bracket.
Recent reports out of South Africa suggest the super-important model could be here earlier than expected, with Mazda South Africa firing out an email that the "the all-new CX-5 Next Generation" would be joining the range in 2026.
In an interview with business outlet Moneyweb, Managing Director Mazda Southern Africa Craig Roberts let slip that the CX-5’s replacement will launch this year.
“From a product perspective, the biggest one we are really excited about is the all-new CX-5. CX-5 is probably our biggest volume seller over the last 10 years since Mazda re-entered as an independent automotive entity in the South African market.
“That new CX-5 will debut in the third quarter of this year and will probably hit our shores in the first quarter of 2026."
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