- Mazda confirms a second-generation CX-3 will debut subsequent 12 months.
- Will probably be constructed at a Mazda-Ford three way partnership manufacturing unit in Thailand.
- Japan and South-East Asia availability confirmed.
Whereas fanatics are patiently ready for a brand new Miata, one other mannequin that has been round for over a decade would be the first to modify generations. The corporate’s smallest crossover will probably be renewed in 2027 when the second-generation CX-3 goes on sale. In an official doc associated to the just lately concluded fiscal 12 months in Japan, Mazda mentions a brand new entry-level CX mannequin.
The present CX-3 is getting lengthy within the tooth, having been round since late 2014. Mazda discontinued the mannequin in america and Europe in 2021 to make room for the CX-30, however the diminutive crossover troopers on in different markets. It’ll lastly transfer to a second era, with manufacturing deliberate for Thailand.
Meeting will happen at Auto Alliance Thailand (AAT). On this Mazda-Ford joint-venture manufacturing unit, greater than 4 million autos have been constructed because the Rayong plant turned operational in 1995. The long run CX-3 gained’t be unique to the native market, as Mazda additionally plans to export the mannequin to Japan and different Southeast Asian nations.
Picture by: Mazda
Particulars in regards to the subsequent CX-3 stay scarce, however Mazda has confirmed it can supply an electrified model with out specifying the kind of hybrid powertrain it can use. One other unanswered query issues the platform, which is already 12 years previous within the present mannequin. A rehash of the prevailing bones would not come as a whole shock, contemplating the 2026 CX-5 is not all that new both.
Though no teasers are accompanying the announcement, Mazda has already hinted at what to anticipate. Eventually 12 months’s Japan Mobility Present, the Imaginative and prescient X-Compact previewed the corporate’s future path for small vehicles. The idea took the type of a dinky hatchback, presumably providing a glimpse of the next-generation Mazda2, nevertheless it’s straightforward to think about a crossover counterpart.
With the 2027 CX-3, Mazda goals to “seize the amount section,” although we do not count on the mannequin to be bought worldwide. The CX-30 will seemingly stay the entry level into the corporate’s SUV lineup in lots of areas, whereas the CX-3 focuses totally on Asian markets.
Mazda is retaining the CX-3 title as a substitute of switching to CX-20, a badge that has circulated in Japanese magazines for a while. Some would argue that CX-20 would make extra sense by aligning the small crossover’s title with the model’s bigger SUVs. Nevertheless, that doesn’t look like the plan, except a separate CX-20 is being developed for different markets.
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Supply: Mazda
Motor1’s Take: Whereas a few of us are rising bored with seeing the umpteenth SUV, Mazda clearly believes there’s nonetheless room for a brand new CX-3 alongside the CX-30. From a enterprise standpoint, the technique is sensible as a result of the upcoming mannequin needs to be extra inexpensive, concentrating on patrons unwilling to pay the premium related to the CX-30.
