Prospective customers of Mazda’s CX-50 in Canada may have to wait longer than expected for their brand-new SUV, as the Japanese marque has confirmed that all units allocated for Canada will now be redirected to the U.S. domestic market.
Production of all Canada-bound examples of the CX-50 SUV was due to stop on May 12, according to an official announcement from Mazda on 15 April. This is believed to be a direct response to the ongoing trade war over the Trump administration’s 25 percent auto tariffs. Completed CX-50 models already off the line at Mazda’s manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama, will now be redirected to the U.S. as the Japanese marque looks to boost local inventory.
- Base Trim Engine
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2.5L SKYACTIV-G I4 ICE
- Base Trim Transmission
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SKYACTIV-Drive 6-speed automatic
- Base Trim Drivetrain
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All-Wheel Drive
Canadian Production Halted; U.S. Operations “Remain Unaffected”
Production of the CX-50 will be suspended on May 12 as planned, with “increasing production” for the U.S. market now the priority. A Mazda representative provided the following comment:
“Mazda North American Operations reports that Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) will continue to build the Mazda CX-50 for the North American market, with no changes to overall production volume. While production of the CX-50 for the Canadian market will be temporarily suspended starting May 12, by increasing production for the U.S. market, MTM operations remain unaffected.
As Mazda’s only vehicle assembly plant in the United States, we intend to utilize MTM to the fullest to support the growth of our business. We will continue to monitor the situation, including government negotiations, market trends, and policy developments, and will consider flexible and appropriate responses accordingly.”
Doing so, the report continues, could increase available CX-50s for Mazda’s U.S. domestic market by up to 10 percent. A crucial factor, given that the Japanese marque imports 80 percent of its vehicles into the U.S., and thus, like European brands Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley and Polestar – each of which has begun limiting its exports Stateside over the tariff furor – is more susceptible than others to additional taxes being piled on.
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150,000 vehicles are produced annually by Mazda at the joint-venture facility in Alabama, from which Toyota also builds its Corolla Cross SUV. Between 10 and 12 percent of the CX-50s built in Alabama are allocated to the Canadian market, with 10,759 examples sold nationwide last year. Despite this, Mazda has no updates on when production of Canadian-allocated models will start again, as the Japanese marque continues to “assess” the impact tariffs will have both on its domestic and global sales.
How This Could Negatively Affect Mazda’s Canadian Sales
This production relocation will inevitably cause headaches for Mazda’s Canadian dealerships, which are said to be surviving on a “limited supply” of the CX-50. Moreover, the mid-sized SUV accounted for just over 15 percent of Mazda’s Canadian sales last year, and, while outsold by both the CX-5 and the CX-30, was the fastest-growing model in Mazda Canada’s line-up – a staggering 88 percent over 2023 – thanks to the arrival of the CX-50 Hybrid, sales the brand can no longer rely on later in the year.
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Toyota, meanwhile, has “no updates about the production or availability of the Corolla Cross” changing anytime soon from Alabama, which is no surprise.
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