Mazda Australia has confirmed the CX-8 three-row SUV will be axed from the local line-up at the end of 2023, as the company looks to revitalise its line-up with electrified vehicles.
Following five years on sale Down Under and “almost 25,000 sales in total to date”, Australian-bound production of the Mazda CX-8 will cease at the end of this year, though the company has confirmed remaining stock will be on sale throughout the first quarter of next year.
“Our strategy at Mazda Australia has always been to welcome any new model that adds value to our range and offers customers everything they want and need, and the CX-8 has done exactly that since its arrival in 2018,” said Alastair Doak, marketing director for Mazda Australia.
“As we look to the future, our model range will advance once more with a line-up of advanced powertrains and products for our market – including the first-ever Mazda CX-80 – and we look forward to sharing more details next year.”
The CX-8 will exit the Australian market alongside the smaller MX-30 crossover coupe, which by comparison hasn’t really found much traction in Australia despite offering a purely electrified powertrain line-up – with both 24V mild-hybrid and all-electric options available.
Despite the removal of one of its most electrified models, Mazda Corporation has confirmed it plans to launch “a range of new electrified models between now and 2025 – including hybrid electric vehicles, PHEVs and BEVs”.
Further, Mazda says it will have 100 per cent of its range electrified to some extend by 2030, with electric vehicles (EVs) accounting for “at least 25 per cent of the line-up”.
It will be interesting to see whether this transition will involve electrified versions of existing models and nameplates or all-new vehicles, given Mazda Australia recently axed mild-hybrid versions of its popular Mazda 3 small car and related CX-30 crossover.
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Mazda CX-80 prototype
Once the electrified versions of the Mazda 3, CX-30 and MX-30 bow out from the Australian market, that will leave Mazda’s local arm with only a handful of electrified vehicles.
The new CX-60 offers 48V mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, while the larger CX-90 currently offers a purely 48V MHEV engine range in Australia, with the PHEV earmarked for a local launch during the second half of 2024.
It’s expected the as yet unrevealed CX-80 – expected to land in Australia sometime during the second half of next year – will mirror its Large Architecture siblings in offering exclusively MHEV and PHEV drivetrain options. The CX-80 will also likely replace the CX-8 in the global line-up, much like how the CX-90 has taken over from the CX-9.
Mazda has also recently confirmed there will be a successor to the top-selling CX-5 mid-size SUV, though we’re unclear whether it will continue the successful nameplate or wear another badge. Overseas the company offers a CX-50 which shares its platform with the Mazda 3 and CX-30, and will soon offer a hybrid version using Toyota technology.
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