Mazda saw sales numbers head south in 2025, but with crucial new models set to drop in 2026, the story could be about to change.
Mazda sales results for 2025 saw the brand suffer a small decline, with overall Mazda sales dropping by 4.2 per cent.
That’s not a big enough decline to have Mazda’s management team hitting the panic button just yet, and ties in with a trend that saw Australia’s top-three selling brands (Toyota, Ford, and Mazda) all face a slight drop for the year.
Mazda’s strongest seller was the CX-5 medium SUV, recording 22,275 sales for the year, down just 0.4 per cent compared to the year prior.
That’s an incredibly stable result for a model that is at the end of its model cycle, with its replacement already revealed and confirmed, while simultaneously facing internal sales pressure from the larger CX-60.
With a new generation CX-5 set to launch in 2026, the brand has a huge opportunity to grow sales, however the changeover period between run-out stock of the old model and first arrivals of the new generation car could play a critical role.
Mazda’s second-biggest seller was the CX-3, which held onto the title of Australia’s best-selling Light SUV, despite having been in production for over 10 years.
The 15,429 CX-3s delivered in 2025 mark a 16.4 per cent decline on 2024, and while the CX-3 rules its own segment, pressure from low-priced Chinese SUVs in the Small SUV class, like the Chery Tiggo 4 and GWM Haval Jolion, will continue to squeeze Mazda’s dominance.
Following the CX-5 and CX-3, the BT-50 ute range was Mazda’s third-best seller, with 14,797 sales for the year.
A minor slip saw the BT-50 4x2 drop 2.8 per cent, while the 4x4 range dipped 2.3 per cent.
The Isuzu D-Max, the model that the BT-50 is based on, recorded greater sales volume overall with 26,839 sales, but also saw bigger drops overall, with a 6.6 per cent decline for 4x2 models and a 12.3 per cent drop for 4x4s.
Mazda also saw some growth, particularly among its Large Architecture SUVs, the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90.
The CX-60 is the only model with full-year sales results from 2024 to compare against, but in 2025, sales picked up by 33.3 per cent, with 5410 deliveries, helped along by price reductions and the introduction of cheaper base model variants.
While showing growth for models like the CX-70, CX-80, Mazda’s rollout of those models in 2024 means comparative year-on-year numbers are slightly inflated.
The CX-90, Mazda’s most expensive model, does have full-year sales data from 2024 to compare, and it took a hit. The 715 cars delivered in 2025 represented a 23.3 per cent drop.
Mazda’s closely packed line-up no doubt played a role here, with the similarly-sized CX-80 offering the same three-row seating, in a slightly narrower, but significantly cheaper package.
Other poor results came from models like the Mazda 2, which had base models cut from its range and recorded a 19 per cent slide as a result, and the Mazda 6, which was discontinued in 2025, essentially running-out remaining dealer stock in the second half of the year.
Despite its age, the MX-5 sports car range made some ground, with a 24 per cent uptick in deliveries.
The 821 MX-5s that found Australian homes in 2025 put the niche model ahead of SUVs like the CX-90 (715) and CX-70 (379).
2026’s biggest growth opportunity comes in the form of the new CX-5, which will offer larger dimensions and a more high-tech interior experience than the model it replaces, but at the same time, arrives just after Toyota’s segment-dominating RAV4 goes on sale.
While Toyota offers an all-hybrid range, Mazda’s CX-5 hybrid won’t arrive until very late in 2026 or early 2027, potentially delaying the model’s full impact.
Mazda will also introduce two new models during the year in the form of the 6e electric sedan in the first half of 2026, and the CX-6e electric medium SUV arriving towards the end of the year.
Both come from Chinese partner Changan, rather than being fully developed by Mazda.
The move gives Mazda a competitive electric vehicle platform to enter the market with, but with a growing field of similarly-developed Chinese rivals at often-sharp prices, the brand may need to push hard to get the message across for its new models.
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
