Mazda just announced that the Mazda CX-9 will be retiring at the end of 2023 – if you’ve been following Mazda news, you’d know this was coming. But that doesn’t make it any easier to hear.
What kind of history is about to end with the last of the new Mazda CX-9 models, when will local Mazda dealers stop getting restocked, and what model’s going to be replacing the beloved SUV in the Mazda lineup?
After Nearly Two Decades, the Reign of the CX-9 is Ending
The first ever Mazda CX-9 was released in 2007 – 18 years ago. It sold only 25,000 units in the United States, setting up a future in which the model was well-liked but not the best seller of the brand.
Sales dipped below 20,000 annually after that first year but bounced back and even increased during the second generation.
It’s been a moderately successful three-row family-focused model for nearly two decades now. So why did the model get the axe?
How Has it Been Doing Recently?
Even during the height of the pandemic, sales for the Mazda CX-9 increased until the official number of purchased models in 2022 was over 34,000 – the highest ever.
But even when the CX-9 was doing well, other models were doing better. Mazda shifted focus to improving the CX-5 model and creating a new version in the form of the CX-50.
Mazda dealers needed space for the new models, and the CX-9 seemed like the obvious choice for what to cut – especially when a new model was made this year to take its place.
What Model Will Replace this Beloved Three-Row Mazda?
Like the CX-5 and CX-50 before it, the CX-90 was created to improve on the original CX-9 model. Unlike the previous models, Mazda made it clear that the CX-9 and CX-90 wouldn’t be sharing the market.
So now that the CX-90 is being released and making progress as a new popular SUV, Mazda is reminding us that it’s time to let the CX-9 go. It had a good run, but already the CX-90 is making a bigger splash than it did in the past decade.
What Mazda Had to Say About the End of the CX-9 and the New CX-90
When Mazda released the announcement that the Mazda CX-9 would be discontinued, here’s what the company had to say about the transition between the two models:
“Offering a unique blend of utility, performance, design and premium sensibilities, CX-9 proved to be a very capable family vehicle paving the way for Mazda’s next generation of vehicles, like the first-ever 2024 CX-90.”
When Will the CX-9 Officially Leave Mazda Dealer Showrooms?
While Mazda said the model wouldn’t be made after this year, the company didn’t say how much longer they’d be supplying new CX-9s to Mazda dealers during 2023.
Hopefully, there will still be some SUVs available this fall for anyone who wants to get their hands on the last new CX-9s before they’re gone forever. Check with your local dealer to get yours before it’s too late.
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