Mazda CX-8 and MX-30 axed

Having insisted the CX-8 wouldn’t follow its bigger CX-9 cousin into early retirement and that the MX-30 small electrified SUV’s local future was secure only a couple of months ago, Mazda Australia has today announced it will axe both models from this market early next year.

Mazda says the discontinuation of the CX-8 and MX-30 will make way for its upcoming electrification projects. What those plans are remain to be seen, but we do know Mazda Motor Corporation is plotting the rollout of a new range of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric models between now and 2025, mostly revolving around its Large Product Group.

By 2030 the Japanese brand plans for the entirety of its global model line-up to be electrified, and for “more than 25 per cent” to be battery-electric.

“As we move into the next phase of the Mazda brand’s evolution – with electrification at the heart of our focus – we will ensure our valued customers continue to be well-furnished with a suite of exciting models to join us on this journey,” Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi said.

“Fortunately, for drivers who want to enjoy everything the CX-8 has to offer in the meantime, stock is plentiful and readily available across our dealer network right now.”

Despite being effectively replaced by the CX-80 and CX-90 respectively, the axing of the cheaper CX-8 and CX-9 will leave Mazda without a sub-$70,000 seven-seat SUV in Australia, where the CX-90 will become its only three-row vehicle, priced from $74,400 plus on-road costs.

Mazda Australia has sold 5932 CX-8s and 6460 CX-9s so far this year. In the same period, the popular CX-5 mid-size SUV – which is Mazda’s top-seller but could morph into an EV by 2025 – attracted more than 27,000 buyers.

As for the hybrid- and battery-powered MX-30, it never hit the same sales heights as other funky looking compact SUVs like the Toyota C-HR or Nissan JUKE, but Mazda is adamant it was never designed to do so and was instead meant to introduce Australian consumers to the notion of an electrified Zoom Zoom.

Priced from $36,610, the MX-30 has found just 2232 Aussie homes since its local launch in mid-2021 – much less than the similarly sized CX-30, which is priced from $30,610 and found 13,891 buyers to September this year alone.

“Notable as a stylish and sustainably focused alternative in the compact SUV segment, the MX-30 also became a trailblazer as the first fully electric vehicle available from the Mazda brand.” Bhindi said.

“This was previously unchartered territory, and the MX-30 has since served a hugely valuable purpose, both as a technology demonstrator and also to thoroughly prepare our dealer network with the knowledge and skills required for the next phase of our brand’s intensive evolution.”

With no obvious or immediate replacement on the horizon for the MX-30 and the upcoming CX-80 set to sit higher up the pecking order than the CX-8 it will ultimately replace, Aussies in the market for a Mazda EV or an affordable mainstream seven-seat SUV will now need to look elsewhere.

Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak said more details of the CX-80’s local introduction will be shared next year and that the company always strives to “welcome any new model that adds value to” its model range.

Production of the Australian-spec CX-8 and MX-30 will wind down by the end of this year, but Mazda says there’ll be enough stock to keep sales ticking over into the first quarter of next year.

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