Geneva show: Mazda teases compact SUV
BY RON HAMMERTON | 6th Feb 2019
MAZDA will unveil an all-new compact SUV at next month’s Geneva motor show, and the even better news is that it is bound for Australia.
The unnamed vehicle, which is expected to slot between the small CX-3 and medium CX-5, has been teased in a dark and moody photograph of the rear end showing a sporty profile with distinctly Mazda semi-circular tail-lights.
The vehicle will share a lot of underpinnings with the latest fourth-generation Mazda3, including the new-generation SkyActiv vehicle architecture and Spark Plug Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI) engine.
It will also become the second model in the range after the Mazda3 to carry the “more mature” evolution of Mazda’s familiar Kodo styling.
It is likely to wear the CX-4 badge that is currently employed only in China on a similar style of Mazda vehicle. While the Chinese-market CX-4 is based on the current CX-5 platform and employs conventional powertrains, the international model will get the newer, more sophisticated technology.
Most pundits speculate that the new model will have sportier, more coupe-like styling than the boxier, family-oriented CX-5, taking the fight up to rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai.
We are betting that – like the Chinese version – the roof line will be lower and the overall design more aerodynamic and “planted” on the road.
Although Mazda is holding back further details of the new vehicle until the satin sheet is pulled away at Geneva on March 5, Mazda Australia has confirmed it will be coming here. Just when, Mazda is not saying.
However, it will almost certainly be after the new Mazda3 that is due to touch down in Australian showrooms in the middle of this year, starting with the hatchback. The sedan, with its more distinct body design this time, will follow a month or two later.
The Mazda3 will be offered with a choice of three Skyactiv-G petrol engines – 1.5-, 2.0- and 2.5-litre four-cylinder units – but the company has yet to confirm power, torque, fuel economy or performance figures. It is unclear which of these engines will grace the new SUV.
The Mazda3 will also debut Mazda’s new M Hybrid system that would also seem to be candidate for the CX-4 or whatever it is called.
The Mazda3 is Mazda Australia’s most important vehicle, topping its sales charts and sitting just behind Toyota’s Corolla as the best-selling passenger car in the land last year.
Last month, as it began its run-out year, the ageing third-generation Mazda3 even pipped the new Corolla to take the January passenger car sales honours.
With the rise of SUVs and crossover vehicles a global trend, the new ‘CX-4’ might be well placed to challenge Mazda3’s supremacy within a year or two.
