2016 Mazda CX-9

Mazda SA 'seriously' looked at CX-8, now eyeing next-gen CX-9

The head of Mazda Southern Africa says the local arm of the Japanese firm “seriously” considered introducing the CX-8, but now plans to wait for the next-generation CX-9 instead.

Speaking to CARmag.co.za at the local launch of the new Mazda3, Craig Roberts revealed Mazda SA had come close to launching the CX-8 – which would have slotted in above the CX-5 – towards the middle of 2018.

“We did look seriously at CX-8. We decided against CX-8 because it is purely a seven-seater alternative,” he told us, adding the automaker did not see enough local demand for a “pure seven-seater”.

“We also had limited opportunity in terms of powertrains in CX-8 at the time that we were looking to introduce it,” Roberts explained.

The CX-8 was revealed in September 2017, measuring 4 900 mm long, 1 840 mm wide and 1 730 mm high, and boasting three rows of seats. It is currently sold in markets like Japan, China, Australia and Malaysia.

Interestingly, Roberts also confirmed Mazda SA had come close to introducing the CX-9.

https://www.carmag.co.za/news/rumours/mazda-sa-seriously-looked-at-cx-8-now-eyeing-next-gen-cx-9/
 
The 2022 Mazda CX-9 Will Have Standard AWD And A Reduced Price

Still sporty and upscale, the 2022 CX-9 might be one of the best values for family cars

In a car market where everything appears to be getting more expensive, it’s nice to hear some news about a brand new model that will actually be cheaper in the next model year. For 2022, Mazda’s CX-9 three-row crossover will have a lower MSRP and standard AWD.

The updated and turbocharged CX-9 has been out since 2016 and since then has gotten a bit lost in the crowd of family haulers. When we reviewed it many years ago, we found it to be way more fun than most drivers would expect given its size. As a professional car shopper, I was getting a ton of requests for them years ago, but I have seen the demand shift a bit towards the usual suspects from Japan and hot sellers from Korea. According to CarSalesBase, Mazda moved around 20,000 units of the CX-9 compared to about 76,000 Pilots and a whopping 144,000 Highlanders. While Mazda is a smaller carmaker and doesn’t have the same production capacity as the bigger players, given the popularity of three-row SUVs the CX-9 should perform better.

The automaker is looking to change that for 2022 by making its i-Activ AWD standard across all models, and while other brands are increasing MSRPs and destination fees, Mazda will reduce the starting price of the CX-9 Sport to $36,505 including destination. This will make it cheaper than an AWD-equipped sport 2021 Sport that stickers at $37,285. The Sport also comes standard with the advanced safety tech that most parents would want in their family hauler including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-keep assist.

 
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