Farewell Tiny Van: Mazda Cancels the Mazda5 for 2016
Though we have a pretty good track record for predicting which cars won’t live to see another model year, this one didn’t make our list: the Mazda5. The automaker announced that model-year 2015 will be the tiny van’s last. “The vehicle has reached the end of the model run of this generation, and there is no replacement model at this time,” said Mazda North American Operations spokesman Jeremy Barnes.
Related: Five Cars for Urban Families
The move is not surprising given the 5’s oddball size — part compact wagon, part minivan — less than stellar safety ratings and poor sales record. As an urban mom of three and a Mazda5 owner, the mini minivan is the perfect car for my family, and many of my neighbors agree. Leave the city, however, and the 5 becomes a rare creature. In July, Mazda sold just 551 Mazda5s, a flyspeck compared to the 9,530 CX-5 compact SUVs the automaker sold during the same month.
Instead of re-imagining its tiny van, the automaker is instead focusing on the rest of its lineup, with a new MX-5 Miata roadster and CX-3 subcompact SUV, as well as updates to its CX-5 and Mazda6 sedan for 2016.
