Despite an all-new design, a bigger footprint, updated technologies, and an eventual hybrid powertrain, Mazda Australia will not push its CX-5 to take down the Toyota RAV4.
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Mazda Australia is uninterested in taking the Toyota RAV4 head-on with its third-generation CX-5 due in the second half of 2026 for the most popular SUV crown, instead defining success on its own terms.
Speaking to Drive, Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi said the new CX-5’s eventual sales position is “irrelevant”, if the brand can keep customers happy.
“We would like to think we are among the frontrunners [for sales], but whether that's one, two, or three, that's irrelevant,” Bhindi said.
“We will just offer the right product, the right package, the right value for consumers to consider.”
The CX-5 nameplate first arrived in Australia in 2012, and in 2013 – its first full 12 months on sale – became the top-selling SUV in the country.
Mazda and the CX-5 held onto this title until 2020, having been surpassed by the then new-generation Toyota RAV4 that launched in 2019.
And the Toyota RAV4, offered with a hybrid powertrain option until going forgoing the petrol engine altogether last year, has been untouchable ever since.
Last year, Toyota sold 58,718 RAV4s, while Mazda found 22,835 new homes for its CX-5 for third place behind the Mitsubishi Outlander (27,613 sales) in the mainstream family SUV segment.
Interestingly, the Toyota RAV4 will be refreshed with a new-generation model in the first half of 2026 ahead of the new CX-5 arriving in showrooms.
The CX-5 however, remains Mazda Australia’s top-selling model, outpacing the BT-50 ute and CX-30 small SUV, which is a position within the brand stable it is expected to retain even in new-generation form.
According to Bhindi, he would much rather Mazda’s annual sales target of around 100,000 units to be achieved with strong and consistent performances from various models, rather than a single nameplate like the CX-5.
“Our mindset is always we rather not be dominant in just one area,” Bhindi said.
“We have got a broad portfolio, and we rather have a balanced approach, and offer all products to all customers to consider.”
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
