Only minor changes are seen at the rear and front.
We haven’t seen or heard much about Mazda’s mid-range CX5SUV. sketchy spy photos showed glimpses of a camouflaged test car earlier this year. The last piece of CX-5 news was in July when we reported on a new-inline-six engine rumor for the next-generation model. We now have images that allegedly show a new version for China. It is expected to arrive for 2022.
These images were apparently leaked by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. They were then picked up and published by the Korean website Autospy. Although it is not the first time that we have seen images of future vehicles get leaked by the Chinese government’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, these photos don’t seem to show the next-gen CX-5. We can see only minor changes at the front and rear which are indicative of a refresh. The lower fascia at the front features a larger intake in the middle. The bumper’s narrow plastic trim is gone. This gives the CX-5 a frowning, lower-lip look. With L-shaped LED elements in the headlights, they appear slightly smaller. The grille uses a different mesh pattern and the surround trim in certain areas is smaller. The fascia at the rear has also been modified, but these changes are even more subtle. The lower bumper’s reflectors are more inboard and smaller than the ones at its edges. The lower section has a more smooth appearance with simpler body lines. Further up, the taillights extend further into the hatch. This means a completely new rear hatch, although the taillights are different.
Mazda seems to be playing it very conservatively if this is a new-generation model. It’s possible that this vehicle could be a companion model for the CX-5. This vehicle is reportedly being made available for Chinese markets. Although spy photos from earlier this year were not the best, they showed more changes than the ones we see today. This could have been the next-generation model, slated for 2023-2024 with this refresh station for only a year.