Sales of CX-5 vs CX-50 in US

[cxha]

I had a CX-30 turbo model as a loaner while the clock spring on my Miata was being replaced. I felt that the lower COG and lighter weight had more impact on the handling and acceleration than the rear suspension differences between it and my Turbo Signature CX-5. This was on curvy mountainous roads that were smooth so that difference wasn't put to the test as much as if we were pushing it on poor surfaces.

 

[cx5boo333]

I’m no driving expert, but I also had a CX-30 (NA) loaner for a week, and I have a current gen CX-5 NA. There’s this very twisty canyon road to get to lots of the hikes I go on in Colorado, and my 5 responds very well to being pushed to the limit and let’s me know as I get closer and closer, but the 30 felt good and then didn’t all of a sudden which left me less confident in it. I’m not sure which has more capability, but the 5 seemed happier to be pushed to its limits on these longer sharp curves. That’s even with the bigger tires I have on the 5 lol. But for reference, one time a new white Porsche SUV and big black Ram pickup were having an ego match of speed right before the twisties, so low and behold they were pushing their cars pretty hard in the curves (more the truck, the porsche seemed to go just fast enough to stay ahead lol) and i was keeping up from a distance (to avoid joining the battle) while going a good chunk slower than the fastest I’ve gone through the canyon. Anyways, I know this threads about the 50 but the 30 theoretically should handle better than the 50 due to such similarities while having lower weight and center of gravity (not a science expert either though)

 

[cx5boo333]

And as to why the sales are so much lower? (The original topic lol) I’d equate it to two main things: First, the CX-5 is mazdas best seller and has been for a while, so keeping the 5 going and adding a vehicle of the same size.. it would be hard for the 50 to get that many sales. It has its own identity, yes, but when people want a Mazda they’re still going to have to pick between the classic best seller and the newcomer due to the same size. Second I’d guess is production because the 5 is so important that they have its global production down, whereas the 50 might have issues with demand, workers for the plant, etc

 

[dunhillmc]

The 50 was never intended to have anywhere near the sales of the 5. I don't know where that idea came from

 

[chickdr]

The 50 was never intended to have anywhere near the sales of the 5. I don't know where that idea came from

And you know this how?

 

[sugob]

And as to why the sales are so much lower? (The original topic lol) I’d equate it to two main things: First, the CX-5 is mazdas best seller and has been for a while, so keeping the 5 going and adding a vehicle of the same size.. it would be hard for the 50 to get that many sales. It has its own identity, yes, but when people want a Mazda they’re still going to have to pick between the classic best seller and the newcomer due to the same size. Second I’d guess is production because the 5 is so important that they have its global production down, whereas the 50 might have issues with demand, workers for the plant, etc

As OP, I was questioning if the US sales of the CX-50 can be seen as a disappointment [even after 1.5years, they are still at a third of the CX-5 even thou CX-50 is meant to be a model more aligned to US requirements] rather than why the sales have been lower. This may indicate that the overall changes Mazda made are not perceived as better by enough customers & I should bear this in mind when choosing [and try to figure if those reasons apply to me]

[thou I'm quite enjoying the banter on this thread...but don't upset the mods ]

 

[ruthrj]

As OP, I was questioning if the US sales of the CX-50 can be seen as a disappointment [even after 1.5years, they are still at a third of the CX-5 even thou CX-50 is meant to be a model more aligned to US requirements] rather than why the sales have been lower. This may indicate that the overall changes Mazda made are not perceived as better by enough customers & I should bear this in mind when choosing [and try to figure if those reasons apply to me]

[thou I'm quite enjoying the banter on this thread...but don't upset the mods ]

When you put it that way, no, I don’t believe they find the CX-50 sales disappointing due to the product offering itself. I live near the Mazda Toyota plant in Alabama where they build the CX-50 and they had a lot of trouble recruiting and retaining a full manufacturing staff. It’s taken them a few years to get it sorted and even then I think the 4 week days/4 week night shift continues to be a huge con for their workers. It has kept me from considering a job there as a quality engineer or specialist even though I find it a very interesting career path.

The ramp up of a new factory and workforce coupled with part shortages during the pandemic had to be the biggest drag on the number they could sell. I don’t think it’s a design misfire.

 

[chickdr]

Nope, nice assumption though. Thanks for the judgment.

RIP ‘13, going to miss you!

A Suburban made a left in front of me this morning and that’s all she wrote. I was driving about 30 mph in the right lane, and a car in the middle lane made a gap. The other vehicle in an oncoming lane of traffic tried to make a left into a gas station. They pulled in front of me as I was...

mazdas247.com

Anything else we’d like to judge outside my Domestic vs Import build quality observation, or would we like to stick to the OPs topic?

I wasn't judging at all, just curious. I had a 19 CX-5 GT before my current '21. It was leased, and I knew I wanted a turbo to replace it so when the used prices started going up I approached my dealer and was able to trade out early and get the turbo I had wanted initially.