CX-30 Propels Mazda to Another Monthly Sales Gain

The not-quite-subcompact CX-30 arrived at just the right time for Mazda, appearing at the tail end of what had been a grim 2019 for Mazda. Just as sales of the new tweener crossover matured, the pandemic hit.

As volumes struggle to regain potency across the industry, the new arrival in the Mazda stable helped the automaker post back-to-back monthly sales increase in June and July, replacing volume lost among the brand’s passenger cars — and then some.

July saw Mazda, one of the few remaining automakers to report sales on a monthly basis, post a 3.4 percent year-over-year gain.

Through the first seven months of the year, the CX-30 has racked up more sales than the compact Mazda 3 sedan and hatch, placing it a distance second among the brand’s offerings. The 3,787 sales seen in July were enough to offset losses elsewhere in the brand.

Sales of the 3 fell 11.5 percent for the month, with the 6 sedan declining 19.2 percent, year over year. Even the brand’s bread-and-butter model, the CX-5, recorded a dip of 11.3 percent. The truly subcompact CX-3 lingered in triple-digit volume territory, down a significant 37 percent (cannibalism alert!), and the spike in MX-5 Miata sales seen earlier this year gave way to a similar YoY decline as roadster-buying season ebbs.

Elsewhere, the range-topping CX-9 posted a gain of 9.4 percent. It’s the only Mazda that can boast of a year-to-date sales improvement.

Had Mazda already shed the CX-3, a model that’s expected to be replaced by the CX-30 before long, it still would have found itself in the black, sales-wise, last month. This only demonstrates the importance of the new CUV. As Mazda’s passenger cars, like those of other automakers, shows no sign of bottoming out in popularity, the unnamed crossover expected out of Alabama next year is an ace up the sleeve for future volume.

[Image: © 2019 Chris Tonn/TTAC]