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2020 Mazda CX-30 Video: Why Not Just Call It the CX-4? Here’s Why

cx30 KM jpg 2020 Mazda CX-30 | Cars.com image

Small SUVs are proliferating like live-action remakes of old Disney movies, and the latest example is the 2020 Mazda CX-30 ­— that’s a small SUV that debuted in Europe in early 2019. The U.S. will get it in December, but we already got up close to the all-new CX-30 recently at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Related: 2020 Mazda CX-30 Classes Up Subcompact SUV Class

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This begs two questions right off the bat. First off: Is this a replacement for the Mazda CX-3, the automaker’s subcompact SUV here in the U.S.? Mazda officials at the L.A. Auto Show insisted this isn’t a replacement for the CX-3; the CX-30 actually slots in between the CX-3 and the compact CX-5. The CX-3 will continue (it’s based on the overseas-market Mazda2 platform, while the CX-30 is based on the U.S.-market Mazda3 platform).

That takes us to the second question: Why not just call this the CX-4, then? Well, actually, the CX-4 already exists; it’s a Chinese-market vehicle sold by Mazda, so the name couldn’t be used here. Mazda does say it has vehicles like the BT-50 pickup truck and MX-30 electric car sold internationally, so double-digit names like the CX-30 aren’t a foreign concept, but this would be the first for the U.S. market.

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You can check out the all-new (for the U.S.) Mazda CX-30 and what we think of it in the video below, and be sure to check back often as we get a chance to get behind the wheel.

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.

Assistant Managing Editor-News
Kelsey Mays

Former Assistant Managing Editor-News Kelsey Mays likes quality, reliability, safety and practicality. But he also likes a fair price.

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