Mazda is contemplating putting out a more rugged version of its popular CX-5 compact SUV. This is according to company executive Koichiro Yamaguchi, who was either telling it like it is at the decision desk within Mazda HQ or floating a balloon to gauge interest when he told his tale to Australian outlet CarSales.
We can’t resist asking the question: Wasn’t the CX-50 supposed to be the more rugged adjunct to the CX-5?
As Auto123's Michel Crépault put it when carrying out a long-term review of the longer-snouted CX-50 a couple of years back, that model “is designed for outdoor enthusiasts, for those who love activities that require hiking boots, kayaks, a campfire, bicycles, lots of mosquito repellent, and all the kind of equipment that gets us close to a bucolic river in an enchanting setting.”
Now, it’s true that the CX-50 stopped being produced for Canada last summer due to onerous retaliatory tariffs being imposed on U.S.-made vehicles being imported here. But the model remains alive and well in other markets. So why a tougher CX-5?
Mazda may feel, rightly, that the CX-50 is not a true rugged-terrain vehicle. And certainly, the market for such SUVs continues to grow, so the idea of bringing a CX-5 variant into that segment is surely appealing given the enduring popularity of the model and given that it has just been given a long-overdue update. Did we mention the automaker has sold over 5 million CX-5s since the model debuted in 2011.
Right now, the sort-of-rugged-compact SUV segment notably includes Toyota’s RAV4 Woodland, as well as the Honda CR-V TrailSport and the Nissan Rogue Rock Creek. None of those are all-terrain beasts, of course, but that’s not the goal, really. These are variants that look a little tougher and act a little tougher, and customers have shown they like the concept. Mazda must be chomping at the bit to get in on the action, and it must feel the CX-50 isn’t the answer.
There would have to be efforts made to differentiate the 5 from the 50, lest the two cannibalize each other’s sales.
In any case, this, for now, is just talk – a trial balloon, as CX-5 program manager Yamaguchi all but admitted when he told the outlet that “I like to monitor customer feedback very carefully. We want to hear from customers and listen closely to what the market is asking for.” He didn’t forget to add that the CX-5 already has a vetted and advanced AWD system that would seem well-suited for use in a more rugged variant.