CONFIRMED: A new-generation Mazda CX-5 is coming to Australia to take on the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid - but there's a catch...

The Mazda CX-5 will live on post the brand's push upmarket led by the CX-60 and CX-90 SUVs, with the manufacturer confirming that a new-generation model will be arriving to take on vehicles like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Subaru Forester and Nissan X-Trail.

With Mazda's new large architecture already producing a pair of premium-focused SUVs, and with a CX-70 and CX-80 on the way, there were fears the brand's more affordable range, denoted by a single numerical number as opposed to a number followed by a zero, could be headed for the scrap heap.

The CX-9, for example, will soon be discontinued in the USA, while Australia will only commit to continuing to sell it for “as long as Mazda Corporation keep producing it", and has only committed to supplying the vehicle until the end of 2023.

Read More About Mazda CX-5

Mazda's two-prong assault on the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: New CX-5 to join CX-60 in battle for SUV supremacy Higher and higher! Mazda CX-5 update brings better in-car tech, but it comes with a price increase Meet the Mazda CX-90: Ultra-premium flagship puts BMW X7 and Audi Q7 on notice

But the CX-5 will live on with a new generation, and one that's destined to borrow from its more premium siblings to create a vehicle that Mazda hopes will rule the medium SUV roost.

But while Mazda in Australia has at last confirmed a new-generation of its more affordable mid-size SUV is coming, what's less certain is whether it will continue to be called 'CX-5'.

“Have a look at it from our perspective," says Mazda Australia CEO Vinesh Bhindi. “Don't look at it nameplate perspective, but from a portfolio offering — it's different sizes, different price points, different specifications.

“With the CX-5, Mazda Corporation has said there will be a next generation. What it's called? That's not what we're debating here. That sized-car, a CX-5, is important, and it will continue."

His thoughts echo comments recently made to CarsGuide from Yasuhiro Aoyama, Mazda's director and senior managing executive officer, who visited Australia late last year for the launch of the new Mazda CX-60 SUV.

The Mazda CX-5 will live on post the brand’s push upmarket led by the CX-60 and CX-90 SUVs.

"The CX-5 keeps the largest customer base, even from a global perspective, so we need to appropriately take care of the requirements of their replacement in the future," Mr Aoyama said.

"But we have just introduced the minor refresh facelift for the CX-5, so taking that into consideration, we will set the appropriate timing of a major refresh for CX-5."

So while a CX-5-sized, and accessible, SUV will live on in the Mazda stable, the question now turns to what it might be called.

The obvious choice is the CX-5, given the history of that nameplate, and its current standing as the brand's best-selling vehicle globally.

But it's also possible that the model Mazda is eyeing as an all-new replacement for its top-seller is the CX-50.

Revealed for the USA, the model is built in left-hand-drive only, and has so far been ruled out for Australia, with the brand here instead opting for the right-hand-drive-ready CX-60.

Either way, senior Mazda executives have confirmed the new model will continue to play in the popular mid-size segment, and will continue to meet market demand.