Now called the MX-5................
Posted on 01/03/2025 5:58:09 AM PST by Red Badger
Mazda is defying industry trends with surging sales of its gas-powered SUVs. Can it keep the momentum going without a fully electric vehicle in its lineup?
While many automakers are racing toward electrification, Mazda is proving that there’s still room for gas-powered success. The Japanese automaker is set to break its U.S. sales record from 1986, with over 420,000 vehicles expected to be sold in 2024—a 16% increase from the previous year.
Mazda’s president of North American operations, Tom Donnelly, credited the popularity of its compact crossovers and mid-size SUVs for this growth, with a target of 450,000 vehicles for 2025. “We’re growing our business in what has largely been a stable industry,” Donnelly said, talking about the consistent sales volume that Mazda has seen from its compacts and mid-size SUVs.
A slow move toward EVs
Despite its success, Mazda’s approach to electrification has been cautious. The company currently offers three hybrid models: the CX-50 hybrid, built with Toyota technology, and plug-in versions of the CX-70 and CX-90 SUVs. Reviews for these hybrids have been mixed, and Mazda’s fully electric vehicle plans remain limited.
Mazda intends to launch an in-house hybrid system and test the US market with a fully battery-electric vehicle by 2027. This would mark its first EV since the short-lived MX-30. However, Donnelly remains skeptical about rapid EV adoption, citing a current penetration rate of just 10% in the US. “We’re not a brand that is out there making a bold proclamation about 100% by any particular time frame,” he said.
What’s driving Mazda’s success?
Mazda’s lineup relies heavily on a few key models. The CX-5, a compact crossover manufactured in Japan, remains its best seller, despite being one of the oldest vehicles in its lineup. A redesign is expected within the next two years. The CX-30 subcompact hatchback and the Alabama-made CX-50 have also contributed significantly to the brand’s recent surge.
Still, even with potentially subpar offerings, Mazda stands to benefit from the rising share of American consumers who are becoming more interested in hybrid and PHEV options compared to fully electrified EVs, according to data from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
Final thoughts
With overall US auto sales projected by Kelley Blue Book to rise just 2.3% in 2024, Mazda’s performance is a standout. However, challenges remain. While Mazda charts new territory for its U.S. sales, it still lags behind competitors like Subaru, Kia and even Nissan, which has struggled with a host of its own problems in 2024.
Moving forward, navigating the evolving landscape of EV demand will test Mazda’s strategy in the years ahead. For now, Mazda’s success underscores that even in a market obsessed with electrification, gas-powered vehicles still have a strong following. Whether this strategy remains viable long-term is a question the company will need to answer as it gears up for the coming years.
The fact that they offer no EVs is probably the reason for their success. 🙂👍
they left Rotary and joined Kiwanis
Is not Mazda nothing more than a foreign built Ford?
No EVs, but I heard they are getting ready to destroy the Miata line by making it an automatic only, hybrid.
If they had figured out how to rustproof them even a little bit, I might still be driving a Mazda B2000 pickup. That thing was basic, basic, basic, but it ran great and was something I didn’t have to fuss over or pamper. When I finally traded it off for pennies, the mechanicals were still good, but the body was what one might call “perforated.”
with POS transmissions ... never again ...
We bought a CX-5 for my wife back in 2019. It’s been a great car with absolutely no issues and loaded with features. We hope to trade it in for a CX-90 later this year if we can get a good deal and interest rate. We need the bigger space for the grandkids.
Although I’ve driven Hondas and Toyotas I’ve never driven a Mazda. However,over the years I’ve heard...and read...nothing but good things about them.
What would be the point? It’s a ‘sports’ car!...............
Governments are starting to put hybrids on their 2030(whatever) ban now
Was it a CVT? I’ve heard nothing but really bad stuff about CVTs.
From Brave AI:
Is Mazda Owned by Ford
Ford did not own 50% of Mazda. Ford’s ownership of Mazda peaked at 33.4% in May 1995. Ford first invested in Mazda in 1979 by purchasing a 24.5% stake. In 2008, Ford began to divest its shares in Mazda, reducing its stake to 13.4% by selling a 20% stake. By 2014, Ford’s ownership was down to 2.1%, and it completely sold off its remaining shares by 2015.
My Mom bought a Miata the first year it came out, and only sold it when she turned 85.
We’ve owned two Mazdas: An MPV and a 3. We put a lot of miles on both and though they both had the occasional mechanical issue, none was ever catastrophic. My Mazda 3 had this annoying transmission hiccup that would recur every now and then, but it never failed. I’d get it serviced every 30K miles by my local mechanic — he was amazed at how much metal he’d pull off the magnet — but the thing just kept on going and going.
Now called the MX-5................
Best part-- only moderate price increases over the past few years compared to the obscene price gouging by other car makers.
I have owned American, British, German, Japanese and Korean cars.
The ONE THING they all have in common:
They ALL break down sooner or later...............
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