2020 CX-5 Named Best Premium Compact SUV by Arab Motors Middle East Magazine

[Avoidin Deer]

(Cross-posted from CX-5 forum. Interesting to see the positive awards Mazda gets, even in Qatar!)

I came across an article just published today from Gulf Times stating that the 2020 Mazda CX-5 received the Golden Steering Award (GSA), given exclusively for SUVs and 4X4s by Qatar-based automotive magazine ‘Arab Motors Middle East’.

Mazda CX-5 crowned ‘Best Premium Compact SUV’

The next-generation 2020 Mazda CX-5 has been crowned the ‘Best Premium Compact SUV’ in the second edition of the Golden Steering Awards (GSA), given exclusively for...

www.gulf-times.com

The article is short on details, but we don't hear much about Mazda in the Middle East.
National Car Company has been the sole agent for Mazda in Qatar for the last five decades.

 

[Antoine]

The article is short on details, but we don't hear much about Mazda in the Middle East.
National Car Company has been the sole agent for Mazda in Qatar for the last five decades.

Interesting find and thanks for sharing! Unless I missed it being mentioned in the article, I wonder how Mazda's marketshare is doing in the Middle East...I'm curious as to which model is doing best, the National Car Company Director mentioned the CX-5 being the flagship...I wonder if the CX-8 or CX-9 is offered as well or perhaps in neighboring countries..?

 

[Avoidin Deer]

According to National Car Company's website, they sell these cars:

Mazda2
Mazda3
Mazda6
CX-3
CX-5
CX-9
MX-5
BT-50 pickup

I can't find manufacturer/model-specific sales for any countries except US and China. This data is also available for Europe. I can find Total Vehicle Sales for all other countries (including 14 countries in the Middle East.).

Total Vehicle Sales (all mfrs) in Qatar are:

Year	Total#	%Change
2005	84,500
2006	35,112	-58.45%
2007	37,324	6.30%
2008	56,124	50.37%
2009	37,200	-33.72%
2010	43,530	17.02%
2011	62,346	43.23%
2012	82,305	32.01%
2013	89,876	9.20%
2014	98,116	9.17%
2015	91,258	-6.99%
2016	67,821	-25.68%
2017	51,563	-23.97%
2018	47,700	-7.49%
2019	47,550	-0.31%

Interesting, huh?

 

[Antoine]

Nice find!

Some big drops there...It appears to have peaked in 2005 and then dropped off...Peaked again in 2014 and dropped off...Will the next peak break 100K? It's looking like 2020 will continue the current downtrend unfortunately...

Hope Mazda sales are holding up well in the Middle East...The current global economic climate is likely not going to help the auto industry.

 

[Avoidin Deer]

I agree.

There are purchases that might merely get short-term deferred in such times, but when job loss is part of the equation, things like new cars are going to get pushed off longer as people recover. Then you add in the effect the price of oil and natural gas are going to have on an economy like Qatar's (and others in the region)...