Mazda to out-hybrid Toyota! All-new CX-5 hybrid engine to power CX-30 and more in effort to chase down Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Corolla Cross

2026 Mazda CX-5 Render (Thanos Pappas)

Mazda’s still mysterious CX-5 hybrid will spark an electrified revolution for Australia’s second most popular car brand, with the new hybrid engine to power other, cheaper models in the range.

It will give Mazda its best chance yet of chasing down Toyota, with the brand’s in-house hybrid tapping into the most popular powertrain and vehicle segment choices in Australia, with the brand telling CarsGuide “we want to get hybrids through everything”.

That’s the word from Daniel Wakelam, Mazda Australia’s new National Manager Product and Business Strategy, who told CarsGuide the CX-5 Hybrid was just the beginning.

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“No plans at this stage, but I think the idea would be that hybrid across other cars. There are other hybrid options as well, but we’d like to see it in CX-30 and other cars as well,” Mr Wakelam says.

“It will take time to get them to filter through. It takes time for the R&D, especially with the size of Mazda. But we want to get hybrids through everything.”

First to arrive will be the new CX-5, with Mazda Australia chief Vinesh Bhindi confirming the CX-5 nameplate will live on, and that details will be shared soon.

While the executive wouldn’t expand on exactly when, news out of the USA suggests the new model will be revealed within months, ahead of an on-sale date either late 2025 or early 2026.

"We did over 100,000 units on CX-5 last year, and it just keeps on keeping on. And as you know, we’re launching a new one soon. We expect that momentum will continue. This is the largest segment in the market, and some other brands also have multiple entries, and if you compare the CX-5 and CX-50 directly, they look different and have different intentionalities,” Mazda's North American CEO Tom Donnelly, told US News.

"I can’t give you exact specifics on it, but in the next few months, you’ll see the global debut of our next-generation CX-5, and (the new hybrid tech) will debut in that vehicle.”