Mazda CX-5 Goes On Sale In Japan

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: February 16th, 2012

Mazda’s stock jumped 6 percent today in Tokyo on news that the Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV is available at Mazda dealers in Japan. Mazda plans for 1,000 units per month to be sold in Japan, and Mazda President Takashi Yamanouchi told The Nikkei [sub] that he expects annual global sales to reach approximately 200,000 units.

The CX-5 is the first model to adopt the full complement of Mazda’s SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY including gasoline and diesel engines, transmissions, body and chassis.

Buyers in Japan have a choice of two new-generation engines. The model equipped with Mazda’s SKYACTIV-D 2.2 clean diesel engine delivers a class-leading fuel economy of 18.6km/L (JC08 mode), and what Mazda calls the “powerful dynamic performance equivalent to a 4.0L, V8 gasoline engine.” The SKYACTIV-G 2.0L gasoline model is rated at 16.0km/L (FWD model, JC08 mode).

#BertelSchmitt #CX-5 #Japan #Mazda #Nissan

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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5 of 28 comments

PJ McCombs on Feb 17, 2012

I hate to admit it, but this is the first car to make me believe I could happily own a crossover. 3,300 lbs, 2.0-liter Four, manual transmission, AWD, and Mazda chassis tuning suggest a real winner. Why isn't the Mazda3 this good-looking?

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- Ezeolla on Feb 17, 2012
  
  Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the stick shift is only available with FWD
  
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- Burgersandbeer on Feb 17, 2012
  
  @ezeolla That's how I read the specs as well, only FWD if you want the stick. Not all bad news though. Most people that buy this car are probably better off skipping the AWD anyway. The FWD with a manual is actually as light as 3208 lbs. If you want AWD, that forces the automatic and the weight balloons up to 3426 lbs. At that point I think the gas engine is going to have to work pretty hard, so let's hope Mazda makes the diesel available in the US for the AWD crowd.
  
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- DeadWeight on Feb 17, 2012
  
  @ezeolla FWD with a good set of all season (with snow/ice capable bias) tires should make the distinction between AWD and FWD nearly meaningless for 98% of buyers.
  
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GraceS on Mar 14, 2012

The CX-5 is very much similar to the CX-7, but it's sad to hear that Mazda discontinues CX-7 crossover in U.S. due to poor selling of the unit. But with CX-5 going on sale in Japan, it sure will give Mazda a sure sell.

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