CX-5 sales up 79% YTD

[MikeM.]

So why has Mazda sold more cars in NA, where presumably there is more snow through out the year than the US?

Please tell us you're kidding.
The last time I checked, North America included Canada, United States and Mxico.

In what universe would it be possible for sales figures from country X to be greater than sales from countries X, Y and Z added together?

I didn't think the CX-5 was that good in snow, no lock and wide tyres?

You have been misinformed.

Having recently used a AWD CX-5 as primary transport to ski over 50 different days at the snowiest ski area in the world, Mt. Baker, WA (yes, they have the world record for the most snow), I will attest that the CX-5 handles winter storms, unplowed drifting snow, packed snow, slush, and unsanded icy roads like child's play. Too bad I was typically held up by large American SUV's that had trouble getting out of their own way as soon as the road became the least bit slippery. Because when I had clear road ahead of me I could haul ass and the CX-5 is the most capable vehicle I've ever driven on Mountain pass highways under winter conditions. This list includes a long list of AWD Subaru's, Volvo's, VW's, and American and Japanese 4x4's. The Mazda has them all beat, some by a very wide margin.

I was concerned Mazda might not know the finer subtleties of tuning their traction and stability control systems for ice and other very low traction surfaces but this was a misplaced concern - the systems are very capable of handling even the most treacherous conditions.

BTW, the last thing one want to do when driving on slippery snowy or icy roads is to deploy a locking differential - Mazda's AWD is many times superior in slippery winter conditions than any vehicle with a differential lock. As an ex-off road enthusiast I can say a locking differential is of no use (dangerous even) under such conditions.

 

[Mazdafreak16]

Does anyone have numbers for the Escape or CR-V? I know the CX-5 isn't anywhere near those, but with sales up 79%, I'd like to see the comparison.

 

[Chas]

Does anyone have numbers for the Escape or CR-V? I know the CX-5 isn't anywhere near those, but with sales up 79%, I'd like to see the comparison.

May 2013
Honda CRV 27,298
Ford Escape 29,553

 

[xtrailman]

The reason for questioning the CX5 ability in snow was primarily this post.

http://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/mazda-cx-5-54/cx-5-terrible-snow-30722/

I'm very happy that he is wrong.



My Audi Quattro was disappointing in snow even with permanent 4wd, I put it down to the wide summer tyres, 225/45/17.

 

[xtrailman]

Well, North American sales figures are just Canada and US sales. Mazda has a bigger share of the Canadian market than it does in the US, but that likely boils down to economics - car prices in Canada are generally much higher than in the US for more or less the same vehicle (the trim packages have different names, but they're pretty much the same thing). Mazda cars are more expensive in Canada than the US, but not as much more as brands like Subaru.

As for the snow discussion, in the Canadian market you really don't see a significantly different mix of car models being purchased than in areas of the US where there is little or no snow. You won't see a lot of low ground-clearance, rear wheel drive sports cars on the road in the middle of the winter, but most other vehicles are perfectly fine in snow with proper winter tires, which are very common from December to April.

Silly me.

You always get one.

And thanks for the explanation.

 

[maxwax]

Please tell us you're kidding.
Having recently used a AWD CX-5 as primary transport to ski over 50 different days at the snowiest ski area in the world, Mt. Baker, WA (yes, they have the world record for the most snow), I will attest that the CX-5 handles winter storms, unplowed drifting snow, packed snow, slush, and unsanded icy roads like child's play. Too bad I was typically held up by large American SUV's that had trouble getting out of their own way as soon as the road became the least bit slippery. Because when I had clear road ahead of me I could haul ass and the CX-5 is the most capable vehicle I've ever driven on Mountain pass highways under winter conditions. This list includes a long list of AWD Subaru's, Volvo's, VW's, and American and Japanese 4x4's. The Mazda has them all beat, some by a very wide margin.

That's great news to hear. What kind of winter tires did you have on during these adventures?

Thanks

 

[MikeM.]

That's great news to hear. What kind of winter tires did you have on during these adventures?

Thanks

I have Goodyear Ultragrip Ice in 225/65/17. I've had winter tires with slightly better traction on both snow and ice but the sure footed nature of the CX-5 combined with the AWD made that a moot point and the Ultragrips were superb on the bare and wet twisties, considerably better steering response and grip than the OEM all seasons in the same conditions. Previous winter tires (last set was Michelin Arctic Alpin) had more fine sipes and were slightly better for ultimate traction on packed snow and ice but not quite as good in the slush and not nearly as good on bare wet pavement. The Ultragrips are the first winter tire I've owned that were actually very good on pavement and they give very little up on snow and ice compared to a winter tire with more/deeper sipes. Wear after 5,000 miles looks promising but it's too early to be sure.

 

[Voda Pas]

I think this is why Mazda is partnering with Toyota for the next gen Mazda2 and supposedly Yaris. The Mazda2 will actually be underpinning the yaris and built in the new factory that Mazda is building in Mexico. http://blog.caranddriver.com/next-generation-mazda-2-and-a-subcompact-toyota-to-be-produced-at-mazdas-mexican-plant/

This is one of the steps they're taking to insulate themselves from the currency fluctuations. The weak yen is only a temporary condition that was put in place by the Japanese government.

I think I also read somewhere that the next mazda3 could possibly also be built in Mexico too. http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2015-mazda-3-spy-photos-news

Partnering up will definitely help with saving development costs, along with sharing platforms too. The next gen Mazda2 is also reportedly going to use a downsized version of the cx5 chassis, which is also shared with the mazda6 and also the next gen mazda3. http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/06/next-generation-mazda2-to-be-built-on-downsized-cx-5-platform.html

Another partnership that Mazda is doing is sharing the Miata's platform with Alfa Romeo, something I think they desperately needed to do in order to make building the next Miata more financially less risky for them. With competition from the GT86/FRS/BRZ toyobaru and it's lower entry price, the Miata has to bring down it's cost in order to be more competitive. Designing a specific chassis for a single car model just isn't very feasible anymore and that applies to all automakers. Platforms have to be shared to save on the costs.

Good info. Thank you for sharing it. I was really intrigued when I first heard last year about the Miata/Alpha Romeo project. There was even some talk of SRT building a muscle-roadster from the same platform. So that brought me to the what if. What if Fiat in its desperate attempt to match the inertia of the VW AG was to aquire partial ownership of Mazda the way they did of Chrysler? I'm not saying that Chrysler makes the greatest cars, but it's hard to argue that they have been making great strides since Fiat stepped in. Personally, I kind of like the idea in that I think Fiat would be pretty happy to allow Mazda to remain autonomous so long as they were able to dig into Mazda for R&D. Just my opinion and I'm not saying it's going to happen. Just curious what other Mazda owners think. Ok, thread jack over.