Over the past few years, Mazda has grown its SUV lineup dramatically, yet the smallest member of that family has been left to coast. The CX-3 has carried on largely unchanged since 2014 and went out of production in Japan in early 2026, at which point its future looked uncertain. Now the company has confirmed that a new generation arrives next year, which settles the question.
The confirmation came burried in Mazda’s mid-year financial report, which states the model keeps the CX-3 badge rather than switching to something like CX-20. The catch is that Mazda skipped a real teaser as the dark silhouette sitting beside the “next-generation CX-3” lettering is actually the previous-gen CX-5 (KF Series).
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We still have a decent sense of what is coming, thanks to a pair of official sketches shown at an event in Thailand last year. The drawings show a sporty small SUV wearing the latest evolution of Mazda’s design language, with a front end that echoes the new CX-5 and a rear that pairs a coupe-style roofline with taillights close to those on the Vision X-Compact concept, the show car expected to evolve into the next Mazda2.
Unlike other jointly developed projects, the new CX-3 will ride on a Mazda platform and is expected to come with gasoline, mild-hybrid, and full-hybrid powertrains. That spread may let the automaker hang onto the six-speed manual for non-hybrid variants.
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The corporate documentation outlines that the next-generation subcompact crossover is tasked with chasing high-volume sales segments, particularly across Asia and Oceania where the original model maintained strong consumer demand throughout its long lifecycle.
Mazda has confirmed that production for the new Mazda CX-3 will take place at the AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) facility. From there, Thai-assembled units will be exported to Japan, other ASEAN markets, and additional global regions starting in 2027.
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The CX-3 will retain its role as the entry-level SUV within the Mazda lineup, sitting under the CX-30. Depending on the market, rivals will include the likes of the Toyota Yaris Cross, Honda HR-V, Ford Puma, Peugeot 2008, Jeep Avenger, Renault Captur, Nissan Juke, Hyundai Bayon, VW T-Cross etc. Mazda should start sharing more revealing teasers of the next CX-3 in the coming months.