Though its big SUVs have only been on the market for a few years, Mazda is making their mid-cycle refresh a big one. Sales of the CX-70 and CX-90, along with their rest-of-the-world counterparts, have been well under expectations. That’s not good for Mazda, and it means major upgrades are coming… emphasis on major.
That could be everything but the kitchen sink, and if Mazda is desperate enough, it might even try to offer one. Point being, get ready for more than a minor nip and tuck.
Upgrades ‘On A Scale Never Seen Before’
2025 Mazda CX-90 front 3/4Mazda
A new report from Japan shows how poorly the vehicles are performing. Chugoku Shimbun reports that Mazda had expected to sell 200,000 vehicles every year on its new Large Architecture platform. Last year, it managed just 150,637. This year, at least in the US, sales are falling rapidly. So there are big changes coming.
“We will be working on the exterior, interior, and powertrain, and will be upgrading them on a scale never seen before,” Mazda President Masahiro Moro told Chugoku Shimbun. “We will cultivate these into products that people will say are Mazda’s flagship. It will take time, but we will definitely achieve this.”
Will These Changes Be Enough?
2025 Mazda CX-70 PHEV Premium Plus Black/Red Interior Rearward Seats ViewMazda
Mazda CFO Jeffrey Guyton made similar statements about the vehicles during the company’s earnings call last month. He said that “that situation is not acceptable to us, and we need to grow our Large Platform business,” and that the automaker is planning “a number of product enhancements.”
Guyton didn’t expand on the changes, but he did reveal a new marketing plan. He said that Mazda was planning to lean on safety and its strong performance in recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing, with the CX-70 and CX-90 models as the face of the campaign.
Mazda’s new platform was meant to be its successful move into the larger vehicles Americans love so much – vehicles that are incredibly profitable, most of the time. It was a rear-drive platform with a longitudinal engine, rather than the lengthened front-drive platforms it had used before.
2026 Mazda CX-90 rear 3/4 angle in red with trunk open and a person at the driver’s doorMazda
When Mazda reported sales of the CX-70 and CX-90 at the end of July, the figures weren’t good. The two-row CX-70 had sold just 7,161 units for the year, down 28% from the year before, and the three-row CX-90’s 26,102 units was down 25%. That put the CX-90 barely ahead of the Mazda3 sedan, and even the CX-30, which was being deliberately limited by Mazda, was running neck and neck.
The Large Architecture introduced new engines and powertrains, including smooth inline-six engines and a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid variant. However, the SUVs have received criticism for ride quality and a dated infotainment system.
Mazda has already confirmed it will add its Skyactiv-Z compression ignition engines to the platform between 2028 and 2030. It is also looking to add a conventional hybrid system, though it’s not clear if that is in place of or in addition to the 48V mild hybrid and PHEV systems.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2025 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Rear 3/4 angle in white while parkedMazda
Mazda built the CX-70 and CX-90 specifically for America. They’re wider and longer than anything else from the company, and they use engines and transmissions that won’t go anywhere else in the lineup.
If they fail, along with the Euro-focused CX-60 and CX-80, that would represent a significant outlay for Mazda. It’s a cost that could negatively affect all of its vehicles, especially the MX-5, in the future.
Expect to hear more on Mazda’s big SUV plans later this year, or at the latest, into early 2027.
Sources: Mazda, Chugoku Shimbun
