Toyota has been talking a huge game when it comes to projections for its mega-popular RAV4 Hybrid in 2025, suggesting the family friendly SUV will outsell everything from dual-cab utes to cheap Chinese EVs to become Australia's best-selling vehicle this year.
But Mazda's got it own weapon in this looming mid-size SUV war, and it is shaping as among the only models that can possibly topple the Toyota in Australia.
And fresh reports out of South Africa suggest the super-important model (the CX-5 is the brand's best-selling vehicle, both in Australia and globally) 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 2025.
That would put it in a direct battle with the RAV4 Hybrid even sooner than we thought. At its annual sales results call in early January, Toyota's VP of Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley, explained that the day of the dual-cab was nearing an end, thanks largely to increased competition, and that the mid-size SUV could return to the top of the table.
“We already know that the number of ute models available to Australian buyers will expand rapidly. They’ll be competing for an overall ute market that is likely to remain steady, which suggests that the average sales per model will come down as a result,” he said.
“It may be, and I stress maybe, that an SUV could rise to the top of the national sales charts in the next year or two, and just maybe that SUV will be a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid,” he said.
But Mazda has it hybrid SUV incoming that's ready to tap into booming petrol-electric demand, with the aging CX-5 set to finally be replaced by a hybrid version, with Mazda having developed the hybrid technology in-house.
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What's more, the brand has committed to the CX-5 remaining an affordable model, rather than following the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 upmarket.
Having 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, Australia CEO, Vinesh Bhindi, has also confirmed that its most popular SUV will remain within reach of mainstream buyers.
Asked whether the brand is committed to the new CX-5 remaining an accessible product that will sit below the CX-5, 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.