Next-gen Mazda CX-5 hybrid confirmed

The next-generation 2025 Mazda CX-5 will be offered globally with at least the option of a hybrid powertrain developed in-house, as distinct from any petrol-electric technology that stems from its ongoing collaboration with Toyota.

No timeframe has been given for what will be the first hybrid version of the popular mid-size SUV, nor how widely the hybrid powertrain will be spread across the new CX-5 range, but the expectation is for the redesigned Toyota RAV4 rival to be revealed sometime in 2025.

The revelation was made in the Japanese car-maker’s most recent financial report, which explicitly stated the words: “Plan to equip next CX-5 with a Mazda-developed hybrid engine” under the ‘Progress Toward Electrification’ section of the document.

The prospect of an electrified CX-5 is a big deal since the current model remains Mazda Australia’s best-seller and the country’s third most popular mid-size SUV behind the RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander.

And a closer look reveals the new CX-5 could actually incorporate a version of Mazda’s rotary range-extender electric-drive system, in which the combustion engine acts purely as a generator to charge the battery.

The proof is in the pudding, or rather the wording: both the CX-5 hybrid and accompanying CX-50 hybrid were named as ‘products leveraging multi-electrification technology’. Multi-electrification technology is the name Mazda has bestowed upon the powertrain being championed by the CX-30 R-EV and Iconic SP sports car concept, owing to its ability to be charged both by the rotary engine or mains power via a cable.

Electric-drive hybrids or range-extender EVs are fast becoming the industry rage, with Mazda, Honda and Nissan Mazda all having some variation of the powertrain concept, though in Honda’s case the combustion engine still sends some drive to the wheels when required.

Mazda has made it clear it thinks the tech is the way forward for the time being, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t working on more traditional EVs.

According to the document, Mazda’s first standalone battery-electric vehicle will be launched globally in 2027, underpinned by a ‘BEV-dedicated platform’.

Odds are Mazda’s first dedicated EV will have ties with the 2024 Mazda Arata concept, which was shown at the Beijing show last month, will become a production model for China by next year and is understood to be under consideration for global release.

The small and mid-size SUV segments have been hot spots for fresh EV activity recently and, given the success of the Tesla Model Y, it’s little wonder an increasing number of auto brands are targeting those segments for their early battery-electric attempts.

The Arata will be joined in Chinese showrooms by the Mazda EZ-6 sedan, the spiritual successor for the venerable Mazda6 mid-size car – and another contender for Mazda’s first dedicated global EV.

All in all, Mazda plans to release up to eight EVs by 2030, thanks in part to its ongoing collaboration with Toyota, which thus far extends to shared production facilities in the US, the Yaris-based Mazda2 Hybrid for Europe, the Toyota hybrid tech-equipped Mazda3 Hybrid for Japan and the apparent co-development of electrified performance models.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au