The third-generation Mazda CX-5 may have a more high-tech interior, but it has also received a number of measures aimed at keeping its production costs down.
Mazda chief financial officer Jeffrey Guyton detailed some of these changes to Automotive News.
Per the report, Mazda cut significant cost (and weight) from the steel body structure by coordinating with its supplier Nippon Steel early in the development process.
That has made the steel body structure less costly for Mazda, despite the new CX-5 being larger than the outgoing model.
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At 4690mm long, 1860mm wide and 1695mm tall, the new CX-5 is 115mm longer and 15mm wider than the outgoing model on a 115mm longer wheelbase.
On the other end of the spectrum, Mazda has made a change to how it wraps the leather on the new CX-5’s steering wheel.
Mazda is no longer cutting it precisely and sewing it on a curve so the stitching lines up horizontally, arguing buyers don’t value this more than the angled stitching used by rivals. That’s despite the brand having established a reputation for itself for premium interiors.
“That’s great attention to detail from Mazda, but when we look at it, our customers are not really valuing that approach more than our competitors, but it costs us more money,” Mr Guyton explained to the publication.
“Our competitors have an angled appearance to the stitches but the same leather.”
He said this and the cost-savings with the steel structure are two of “many, many, many” unseen cost cuts in the new-generation mid-size SUV.
“Simply, we put money where the customer is going to see it, and we’ve tried to find big cost efficiencies where the customer doesn’t value it as much or won’t see it,” he told Automotive News.
Finding these cost savings is critical for Mazda as the CX-5 is its best-selling model globally and its best-seller in the US market, where it’s now being slugged with a 15 per cent tariff. Mazda is aiming to keep margins on the car as good or better than the outgoing generation.
Mazda also posted a loss across the first nine months of the current fiscal year, though it expects to record a full-year operating profit – albeit a lower one than the previous fiscal year.
But while Mazda may appear to be simplifying aspects of the CX-5 to keep costs down, it’s also adding features to the new-generation crossover SUV.
There’s a huge 15.6-inch infotainment screen which, in the US market at least, will feature Google Built-in with embedded apps from the tech giant such as Google Maps and Google Assistant.
The CX-5 will also be offered with a fully digital instrument cluster and a panoramic sunroof for the first time, while Mazda has previously teased the availability of new active safety and driver assist features.
Mazda says the CX-5’s start of production was pushed back slightly so it could perform extended quality verification, including of its more sophisticated software system.
Production began for Europe in December and the US in January, with output for Japan starting in April.
Mazda Australia has confirmed the new CX-5 is due here in mid-2026.
It’s launching here with a carryover naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine – now producing 132kW of power and 242Nm of torque, down 8kW and 10Nm from before – which will be mated with a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
The punchy turbocharged 2.5-litre four is gone, though Mazda has confirmed a hybrid will come later which will offer performance comparable to the turbo – or even better.
The hybrid CX-5 has been locked in for the increasingly hybrid-hungry Australian market, though timing has yet to be confirmed. It’s launching in the US in 2027.
Though it has been overtaken by the Toyota RAV4 in sales, the CX-5 has consistently remained one of the top three best-selling vehicles in its segment for 13 years.
It will have to deal with not only a new-generation RAV4, but also in-house competition in the shape of the CX-60, which is now more affordable than ever following the introduction of a price-leader naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder powertrain.