The third generation Mazda CX-5 Although the interior is more technically advanced, numerous measures have also been taken to keep production costs low.
Jeffrey Guyton, Mazda’s chief financial officer, explained some of these changes in detail Automotive News.
According to the report, Mazda significantly reduced the cost (and weight) of the steel body structure by coordinating with its supplier Nippon Steel early in the development process.
This has made steel body construction more cost-effective for Mazda, even though the new CX-5 is larger than the previous model.
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Measuring 4690mm long, 1860mm wide and 1695mm high, the new CX-5 is 115mm longer and 15mm wider than the previous model and has a 115mm longer wheelbase.
At the other end of the spectrum, Mazda has changed the way the leather is wrapped on the new CX-5’s steering wheel.
Mazda no longer cuts it precisely and stitches it on a curve so that the seams are horizontal, arguing that buyers don’t value this any more than the angled seams used by competitors. This is despite the fact that the brand has made a name for itself for first-class interior design.
“This is Mazda’s great attention to detail, but when we look at it, our customers don’t really value this approach more than our competitors, but it costs us more money,” Guyton told the publication.
“Our competitors have stitches that look weird, but they have the same leather.”
He said this and the cost savings from steel construction are two of “many, many, many” unprecedented cost reductions in the new-generation midsize SUV.
“We just put money where the customer sees it, and we’ve tried to find big cost savings where the customer doesn’t value it as much or doesn’t see it,” he said Automotive News.
Finding these cost savings is critical for Mazda, as the CX-5 is the best-selling model worldwide and its best seller in the U.S. market, where it currently faces a 15 percent tariff. Mazda aims to keep the vehicle’s margins as good or better than the previous generation.
Mazda also posted a loss in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, but expects an operating profit for the full year – albeit a lower one than in the previous fiscal year.
But while Mazda appears to be simplifying aspects of the CX-5 to keep costs down, it’s also adding features to the new-generation crossover SUV.
There’s a huge 15.6-inch infotainment screen that, at least in the US market, will have Google Built-in with embedded apps from the tech giant like Google Maps and Google Assistant.
The CX-5 will also be offered with a fully digital instrument cluster and panoramic sunroof for the first time, while Mazda has previously announced the availability of new active safety and driver assistance features.
Mazda says the CX-5’s production start was delayed slightly so that more advanced quality testing could be carried out, including its more sophisticated software system.
Production for Europe began in December and the US in January, production for Japan began in April.
Mazda Australia has confirmed the new CX-5 is due here in mid-2026.
It starts here with a carryover 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, now producing 132kW of power and 242Nm of torque, 8kW and 10Nm less than before, mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive.
Gone is the powerful 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, although Mazda has confirmed that a hybrid engine will be released later that will offer comparable or even better performance than the turbo.
The hybrid CX-5 is intended for the increasingly hybrid-hungry Australian market, although timing has yet to be confirmed. The launch in the USA will take place in 2027.
Despite being overtaken in sales by the Toyota RAV4, the CX-5 has consistently been one of the top three best-selling vehicles in its segment for 13 years.
Not only does it have to contend with a new-generation RAV4, but also in-house competition in the form of the CX-60, which is now more affordable than ever with the introduction of a price-leading naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine.
MORE: Explore the Mazda CX-5 showroom
