Mazda CX-9 Officially Dies Off after 2023 to Make Way for CX-90
Mazda confirmed that the CX-9 three-row SUV will be discontinued after the 2023 model year.The CX-9 is being replaced by the 2024 CX-90, which has a new platform and new powertrain options.The CX-9 first joined the lineup for 2007 and the current generation arrived for 2016.
It’s out with the old, in with the new at Mazda as the company has confirmed that the CX-9 will die after the 2023 model year. The CX-9 has served as Mazda’s three-row SUV offering since it first arrived for the 2007 model year, but it’s being replaced by the new 2024 Mazda CX-90, which went on sale earlier this year.
This discontinuation doesn’t exactly come as a surprise, as it represents a larger shift that’s happening within Mazda’s crossover lineup. The CX-9 is based on Mazda’s transverse-engine platform and uses a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, while the CX-90 rides on the company’s new longitudinal-engine platform and offers either a turbocharged inline-six engine or a plug-in-hybrid powertrain. The CX-90 is also positioned to be more of an upscale offering: although its starting price of $40,970 isn’t much higher than the outgoing CX-9, at $40,125, the CX-90’s higher trim levels reach above $60,000 while the CX-9 tops out at around $50,000.
The CX-9 first arrived for the 2007 model year and the current, second-generation CX-9 arrived for 2016. We liked its combination of pleasant driving dynamics and upscale interior materials, but its third-row seat was cramped and it was starting to show its age by the time we tested a 2020 model later in its production run.
More change is coming to Mazda’s SUV offerings later this year, as we’re expecting the two-row CX-70 to join the CX-90 soon. This new mid-size model will also use the new longitudinal-engine platform and inline-six engine and should look similar to the CX-60 that’s been introduced for global markets.
In the meantime, CX-9 sales remain relatively strong, as so far in 2023 the model is up 7 percent compared with last year. Mazda sold 17,359 CX-9s through the first half compared with just 5704 CX-90s during the same time period. Mazda has not yet given an exact date for when CX-9 production will end, so expect some 2023 inventory to remain at U.S. dealers for the time being.
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Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
