2026 Mazda CX-5.
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This illustration shows what the next-generation Mazda CX-5 could look like.
And somehow, it looks exactly like the Arata concept we saw a few months ago. However, the Mazda Arata was an EV concept shown at a Chinese auto show, previewing a new model built with Chinese manufacturer Changan, just like the new Mazda EZ-6 sedan.
While the Arata was not a preview of a regular Mazda SUV, we might see a few design cues used in the next CX-5, or the upcoming EV SUV for North American due next year.
The current Mazda CX-5 came out in 2017 and is still quite a hit for Mazda with around 154,000 of them sold last year alone. And probably more this year with over 82,000 sold so far in 2024. Mazda is obviously not in a hurry to replace it and it has to be done right.
The next Mazda CX-5 will offer a Hybrid trim for the first time. But, unlike the CX-50 using a Toyota RAV-4 powertrain, the next-generation CX-5 will be the first Mazda to use an in-house developed Hybrid system.
Oddly, Mazda has a CX-5 hybrid available in Europe that it developed itself, prior to Toyota’s investment in them.
The CX-50 is going to be Mazda’s best and most reliable hybrid due to the Toyota system. Mazda’s in-house system has been bricking CX-90s without an actual solution. They have yet to figure out how to fix it.