nbc news Slowly spinning on the Mazda stand at the Los Angeles Auto Show with a sharp new design that looks like it could give the Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Highlander, and Honda Pilot a
serious run for their money, the all-new 2016 CX-9 is one formidable people-mover. Its targets may be lofty, but the Mazda CX-9 has long punched above its weight in the ultra-competitive midsize SUV segment despite its age (and sales numbers). And this all-new model could be a very, very big thing for the brand as it continues to overachieve in every segment it competes in.
For a little background: The current-generation CX-9 is old. In fact, when it was launched, Mazda was owned by Ford, TV was still broadcast with an analog signal, and few Americans had ever heard of a first-term senator from Illinois named Barack Obama. So it’s saying something that Mazda’s seven-seater has been able to hang in there as long as it has (nine years). But tasteful refreshes and good bones have yet to let the automaker down. Frankly, it’s ancient as far as current models go, but as Mazda is proud to point out: “When the Mazda CX-9 made its world debut back in 2006, it was an epiphany: A midsize three-row crossover SUV that defied the conventional design cues and cumbersome driving experience expected of vehicles in its class.”
Source: Mazda
Source: Mazda
That all may be true, but today, the CX-9 sits toward the bottom of the sales pack. It’s better than the also-aged Chevy Traverse, but only about one CX-9 moves off the lot for every nine Chevys sold. Still, Mazda is hardly the company it was in 2006, or even in 2013, when its biggest SUV received its last facelift. Since then, the Zoom-Zoom brand has
gained serious traction in the American market
, and if the CX-9 can gain the ground the Mazda3 and 5 have in recent years, 2016 could be a turning point for the brand.
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