Mazda happy to concede top SUV spot to Toyota RAV4 for now as it readies new-generation CX-5 for 2023

After eight years on top, Mazda Australia is unfazed that its reign as the best-selling SUV in Australia with the CX-5 is over after the commercial homerun of the fifth-generation RAV4 in 2020.

Mazda’s popular CX-5 has sat comfortable at the top of the SUV charts since its market introduction in 2012, but in a trying year for the brand – and the industry as a whole – interest in the nameplate is down 16 per cent to 19,919 sales after 11 months.

Toyota meanwhile – who launched its new RAV4 in 2019 with a wide assortment of petrol-electric hybrid options – has enjoyed a lift of 58.7 per cent in sales to 34,995 units over the same period.

It is understood that many of these registrations are for hybrid variants which have been on backorder since launch due to overwhelming demand.

However, speaking to CarsGuide, Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi said the brand doesn’t watch the sales race, and losing the top sales spot is due to the ebb and flow of business.

“We don’t wake up every morning worrying about who is at the top spot, and why we are not there,” he said.

“We have support from our fanbase. Yes, sales are down, but it is a product that has been in the market for a little bit.

“And if someone else has brought something new, and they are engaging with their own customer base that are coming from other areas, that’s what happens in business.”

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That doesn’t mean Mazda will just let Toyota runaway with the market though, with rolling updates to the CX-5 likely planned until the new-generation version breaks cover around 2023.

In fact, just earlier this year Mazda rolled out an update to its CX-5 that included an off-road mode for all-wheel-drive variants, while it continues to offer the choice of diesel for buyers and a potent turbo-petrol flagship.

It was reported that the new large car platform underpinning the CX-5 was delayed a year to accommodate the rapid rise in interest of electrified powertrains, meaning Mazda’s new SUV will likely have an engine for those looking to go hybrid.

Mr Bhindi hinted the CX-5 replacement might not share the same name, leading credence to the rumour that the new mid-size SUV will adopt the CX-50 moniker, and also pointed to its own in-house engine technologies such as Skyactiv-X to combat Toyota’s petrol-electric hybrid options.

“Eventually we will get our new-generation CX-5, it’s replacement, but in terms of our sales plan and in terms of where we are at, we are exactly where we know we can be,” he said.

“We have got our technology suite – we’ve got Skyactiv-X, we’ve got very fuel-efficient diesel powertrains and our gasoline petrol powertrains are efficient – so someone’s got their version of what they want to do, we’ve got ours.

“And there’s plenty more to unfold in our portfolio over time.

“Mazda corporation did confirm officially that the large platform is for products CX-5 and above … and yes, a rear-wheel drive, and yes an inline six is what they’re saying is on the table, but there could be other things as well.”

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Mazda also revealed its first all-electric model at last year’s Tokyo motor show with the MX-30, a model which has since spawned a 24-volt mild-hybrid version for overseas markets.

Though Mazda is yet to confirm the MX-30 for the Australian market officially (documentation uncovered by CarsGuide in October points to the business case firming for the local market), the brand could take technologies developed for the model and apply it across its line-up.