Is the Mazda3 Gaining Some Momentum?
The Mazda3 is a solid compact car that is relatively unique compared to its competitors on the market. Despite that, the Mazda3 is still a small car, and like other sedans and hatchbacks, its sales numbers haven’t been too great this year. That was the case at the beginning of the year, but here’s a look at the most recent sales data, which suggests that the Mazda3 may actually be gaining some momentum as far as sales go.
Here’s how Mazda’s cars are selling so far in 2023
GoodCarBadCar updated its sales data with the numbers from May 2023, and overall, the Japanese automaker is doing just fine. Currently, the CX-5 is the best-selling Mazda model. The company has sold about 67,000 units of the compact SUV this year, putting it in the top 20 best-selling cars overall. However, that’s a roughly 11% decrease from the 75,000 units that Mazda sold in the same time period last year.
Then there’s the CX-30, which has sold about 32,000 units so far this year. That’s an 88% increase year-over-year. The CX-50 is a brand-new option in the Mazda lineup, and it’s already sold 18,000 units this year. The CX-9 was close behind, selling about 16,500 units. That’s a modest 9% year-over-year increase.
The Mazda3 is fifth in sales, but it’s actually not doing very well. While three Mazda models are doing worse, they have good reasons. The MX-5 Miata is a sports car with a niche market, and it’s why it’s sold about 4,600 units this year. The automaker only recently started selling the CX-90, and it’s sold 3,400 units already. The MX-30 is in last place with 50 units sold. However, it’s an EV that’s only sold in California, and inventory is low for the car.
The Mazda3 isn’t doing great, but it’s getting better
So far this year, the Japanese automaker has sold about 12,400 units of the Mazda3. That’s a worse sales number than for cars like the Kia Carnival, the Lexus ES, the Volvo XC90, and many more. That figure is also very bad compared to how the compact vehicle sold last year. In the first five months of 2022, Mazda sold almost 14,000 units of the Mazda3.
That means that the Mazda3 saw an 11.5% drop in sales year-over-year. There’s good news, though. In May 2023, the automaker sold about 2,500 units of the car. That’s a massive 173% increase from the 900 or so units that the company sold in May 2022. This discrepancy is because Mazda had strong sales from January 2022 to April 2022, but starting in May 2022, its sales numbers declined.
The Mazda3 just needs a few good months of sales
That drop in sales lasted until August 2022, largely because of supply chain difficulties. The Japanese auto giant has since bounced back, and May was the first month of the year in which the Mazda3 sold better than it did last year. Since the compact model sold poorly in June and July of 2022, the Mazda3 just needs to continue its momentum for the next few months.
If Mazda can do that for the compact car, its year-to-date sales will likely be about the same as last year, if not better. Either way, the vehicle has a long way to go. In 2022, the company sold about 28,000 units of the Mazda3, and that’s a fraction of the 130,000 units it sold at its peak.
