Mazda drops CX-3 crossover, Mazda6 sedan

LOS ANGELES — Mazda is discontinuing two of its slowest-selling models in the U.S., the entry-level CX-3 subcompact crossover and the Mazda6 sedan, as it shifts the product lineup to a new generation of vehicles that better reflect its premium intentions.

Mazda said in a brief statement Friday it will stop selling the CX-3 and midsize Mazda6 after the 2021 model year because of evolving consumer tastes.

The move was not unexpected.

Last year, Mazda introduced a new CX-30 crossover as a larger subcompact above the smaller CX-3 and loaded the new model with premium features on higher trims. On base trims, the aging CX-3 was only $1,260 less expensive than the fresher CX-30, which has been a runaway hit for the brand.

Through April, Mazda sold 2,406 of the CX-3 and 20,121 CX-30s, according to the company. The CX-3, introduced in 2015, was the only Mazda model that posted a year-over-year decline in the first four months of the year.

Mazda is also preparing to introduce a new crossover, probably a midsize model, at an Alabama factory under construction as part of a joint venture with Toyota. That vehicle could revive the CX-7 name and would return Mazda to a four-crossover lineup.

The latest Mazda6, a favorite among auto writers and enthusiasts, has never been a big hit with the general public compared with heavy hitters such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Mazda also is preparing a new rear-wheel-drive architecture that could mean an upmarket sedan in the future. Mazda has not given details on which vehicles will get the new platform.

Mazda is the latest brand to abandon the shrinking midsize-car market -- long dominated by Toyota and Honda -- after Buick, Ford, Chrysler and Dodge. U.S. midsize-car deliveries slumped 55 percent from 2.4 million in 2015 to 1.076 million last year, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center.

U.S. sales of the Mazda6 rose 11 percent in the first four months of the year, but part of the increase reflects a plunge in demand in 2020 during the early months of the pandemic. Mazda6 sales tallied 5,802 in the four-month period this year, making it the brand's third slowest-selling vehicle after the CX-3 and the niche MX-5 Miata sports car.