I disagree. The CX-3 is not selling very well around here despite Mazda being very popular here in Milwaukee. I’d bet I see 100 Mazda 3’s or 6’s for every CX-3 on the road besides the one that I had before it got totaled. That certainly may not be true everywhere.

I hear a lot of people talk about how hot this compact CUV market is right now, but I’m just not seeing play out that way on the streets. Around here, the market for these sub-compact CUV’s is pretty miniscule compared to the other models they sell. CX-5, Forester, Rav-4, and other comparable vehicles is the sweet spot these days for sales. Not much more money for a lot more car. In Asia, Europe, Latin/South America maybe things are different, but this car has failed to take off here in the upper Midwest of the US. I WAS the market for the CX-3, but if I had a do-over it’s an AWD as an option? That’d be a no brained to go with the 3. It’s bigger, faster, more fuel efficient, and probably the same price or even less with the more aggressive incentives Mazda regularly offers

This got me thinking so I did a quick search. This was a very interesting article:

https://carbuzz.com/news/mazda-posts...-sales-figures

All 2018 Mazda SUV sales were up from 2017, the CX-3 modestly at 3.3%, but still an increase. Non-SUVs were down quite considerably over 2017. So that's why I'm not seeing a non-crossover replace a crossover.

Non-scientifically, in New England I see the popularity of CUVs raging. They're everywhere. The dealership group I work for doesn't have Mazda, but it does have Hyundai and I consider the Kona a direct competitor of the CX3. They can't keep those Konas on the lot! They sell them as soon as they get them. I imagine the CX3 is a similar story, around here anyway. It will definitely be interesting to see if the AWD 3 cannibalizes CX3 sales.

I would question the viability of the CX-3, even with a "hot" SUV market.

Total 2018 sales: 16,899

Outside of the niche Miata, that is by far the weakest by-model seller in Mazda's lineup. The latest sales data overall only goes to September 2018, so I'll use the numbers for that month. Here are what the subcompacts did in sales, ranked by demand:

Jeep Renegade - 8099
Honda HR-V -5978
Ford EcoSport - 4577
Hyundai Kona - 4327
Toyota C-HR - 4180
Nissan Kicks - 3498
Kia Niro - 2889
Mazda CX-3 - 1219
Fiat 500X - 286

The CX3 is barely a blip on the map. Only the splendidly awful Fiat 500X fared worse. I have real doubts the CX-3 will ever see a 2nd generation.

CX-3 sold 16,889/300,325 = 5.6% of all vehicles Mazda sold while CX-5 was 50%. CX-5 selling nearly 10:1 over the CX-3. Ouch. It’s definitely gonna need some radical changes if it has any hope of sticking around for a second generation. Maybe as a platform for Mazda’s first electric or hybrid? Not much room for batteries but Nissan found a way on the Leaf, so maybe there’s hope? This would allow them to keep the platform around and have something to distinguish it in the crowded market.