AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)03/18 Report--

On March 18, Changan Mazda officially launched a Chinese name solicitation campaign for its new compact SUV-- Mazda CX-50 based on the front-drive horizontal platform, which will be announced from now to April 2. Two days ago, Mazda CX-50 went offline and opened Xiaoding, which now has 3067 orders.

The CX-50 is the first model to be launched after the merger of North and South Mazda, positioning the compact SUV, which was unveiled at the 2022 Guangzhou International Auto Show. In terms of appearance, CX-50 uses the family's brand-new design language, the larger front grille structure remains the same, but the shape becomes flatter, and the black grille frame extends to both sides to connect with the headlamp group, forming an integrated design of grille and headlamp. In addition, the cooling grooves on both sides of the front bumper and the silver grille on the front lips make the new car look very strong.

On the side of the body, you can see that the body is very slender, especially the front part, and the black trim panel that extends from the front to the side skirt and then to the rear looks very rugged. Black rearview mirror, chrome-plated roof luggage rack, well-lined window frame, large-size wheels and other designs further enhance the off-road properties of the new car. In the rear part of the car, the round taillight with blackening treatment adopts the same three-dimensional design as MX-30, and the lighting effect will be very recognizable. At the same time, the spoiler extending above the rear of the new car is embedded with a long strip of high brake lights, which is combined with the horizontal lines on the rear door and the double-sided circular exhaust surrounded by the rear, which further strengthens the sports sense of the new car. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4785/1920/1638mm and the wheelbase is 2815mm.

In the interior part, CX-50 is still the classic design style of Mazda, the small-size central control screen is still set above the center console that is convenient for drivers to observe, and the instrument is also a combination of liquid crystal and mechanical, but the new family style makes the car look more rigid, with a combination of technology and texture in the design of three-spoke multi-function steering wheel and penetrating air conditioning outlet.

In terms of power, CX-50 provides 2.0L and 2.5L power options in the early stage, 6AT gearbox is equipped in transmission, and hybrid models will be launched in the future. In order to ensure the rear space, CX-50 uses a non-independent rear suspension, but also uses a butterfly bionic third-generation spiral spring, not simply to save costs, it seems that Mazda is also trying to cater to the preferences of domestic consumers.

In fact, the CX-50 can be directly regarded as the replacement model of the CX-5, the second generation CX-5 officially launched on September 21, 2017, and now it has reached the end of the product, but so far there is no news of a new generation of CX-5, accompanied by the imminent launch of CX-50. From the point of view of product positioning, both CX-5 and CX-50 are positioned as compact SUV, but compared with CX-5, the length and wheelbase of CX-50 are lengthened in an all-round way, which can be directly regarded as the replacement of CX-5. Boldly predict that not long ago, CX-5 officials reduced 26000 yuan, the purpose is to make room for the upcoming CX-50 market, so it can be foreseen that the price of CX-50 is bound to be higher than CX-5. In today's environment, the joint venture brand fuel cars represented by Toyota RAV4 Rongfang and Honda CR-V are offering more and more concessions, and the pressure on CX-50 is not small.

Market environment aside, the 2.0L/2.5L naturally aspirated engine + 6AT gearbox power combination, which remains unchanged for thousands of years, has lost interest in the market. Although the space performance has been improved, compared with the same class models, there are obvious shortcomings, the inherent "unity of man and horse" control experience, it is also difficult to bring up users' interest in CX-50. Therefore, price is the key to affect CX-50 sales, and the pricing of CX-50 is particularly important.

According to the official website of Changan Mazda, models currently on sale include Unksera, Atez, CX-30/CX-30 EV, CX-4, CX-5, CX-8 and other models. According to the insurance figures, Changan Mazda sold 107602 vehicles in 2022, of which Oncella was 62478, CX-5 was 17511, CX-30 was 11708, Atez was 7314, CX-4 was 6580 and CX-8 was 1276. It is not difficult to see from the data that 70 per cent of Changan Mazda's sales come from Anksella, while CX-5 sales are second only to Onksera, and there may be some room for growth if CX-50 is priced properly.

It is understood that in addition to the CX-50, Changan Mazda will unveil CX-90 at the 2023 Shanghai International Auto Show, which is the largest SUV under Mazda and is expected to be made in China this year.

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