Mazda 2 and CX-3 facing the axe in Japan – report
03/31/2025 05:00 PM
Australia might be among the last markets to still offer the Mazda 2 light hatchback and CX-3 SUV with reports indicating both models’ discontinuation in Japan.
The Mazda 2 hatch and Mazda CX-3 SUV are reportedly close to reaching the end of the road in Japan.
Japanese publication Creative Trend reports production of the Mazda 2 and CX-3 will conclude for their home market by the end of the year, after more than a decade on sale.
Drive has contacted Mazda Australia for comment on the local future of the Mazda 2 and CX-3.
MORE: Mazda on verge of exiting sub-$30,000 new-car market after more than 60 years
The CX-3 is expected to be replaced by a new-generation model by 2027 with optional hybrid power, while the future of the Mazda 2 is less clear.
In recent years, Mazda has axed its CX-8 and Mazda 6 in Japan before announcing their discontinuation in Australia some months later – while other models, such as the CX-5 2.5-litre turbo, remain available here but are not offered in Japan.
The Mazda hatchback was discontinued in the United Kingdom earlier this year for a rebadged version of the Toyota Yaris Hybrid, while the two models are currently sold side-by-side in mainland Europe.
MORE: 2027 Mazda CX-3 hybrid SUV hinted in design sketches
Mazda currently builds the Mazda 2 in Japan for its domestic market, while the CX-3 is imported from Thailand.
For Australia, the Mazda 2 and CX-3 are both sourced from Thailand, with the brand’s factory set to receive an $AU235 million investment to build “electrified” small SUVs from 2027.
The future models – likely to include a direct successor to the CX-3 – will be exported to Japan and other South East Asian countries, while Australia is also a likely destination.
Mazda’s smallest SUV launched globally in 2015 and has since been discontinued in the United States and Europe, but it remains available in other markets, including Australia.
MORE: Mazda confirms hybrid small SUVs due in 2027, could include CX-3 successor
The CX-3 is the brand’s second most-popular model in Australia behind the soon-to-be-updated CX-5, with an annual sales record achieved in 2024 – its 10th year in local showrooms – as it continues to dominate its ‘light SUV’ segment.
The Mazda 2, a twin-under-the-skin to the CX-3, debuted in 2014 and received facelifts in 2019 and 2024, while a recent update saw the deletion of its base variant in Australia, despite accounting for 45 per cent of sales.
VFACTS new-car sales data shows 5365 Mazda 2s were delivered in Australia in 2024, behind the MG 3 (12,563) and Suzuki Swift (6126) but ahead of the Toyota Yaris (2263) and Volkswagen Polo (2154).
MORE: 2025 Mazda 2 price and specs – Most popular model grade axed, base price up $4100
Year-to-date, the Mazda 2 (997) has overtaken the Suzuki Swift (643), but it remains behind the MG 3 (2217), which costs around $8000 less than the Mazda.
In addition, Mazda has confirmed the end of the MX-30 EV in Japan with the final examples built on March 31, 2025, but the mild-hybrid and rotary-powered ‘R-EV’ plug-in hybrid models will remain on sale.
The mild-hybrid and electric MX-30 was axed in Australia in October 2023 amid slow sales and a high price for the EV, leaving the brand without an electric car in its line-up.
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