Mazda has confirmed that the second-generation CX-3 compact SUV was scheduled to go into production in Thailand in 2027, published as part of its 2026 financial results.

The first CX-3 has been in production since late 2014, and has been available in Australia since early 2015. In the 11 years since it has been given periodic minor updates.

The new CX-3 will be built exclusively at Mazda’s Auto Alliance Thailand factory. Currently, the CX-3 is also produced in Mexico, and until 2022 was also built in Japan.

This latest confirmation reveals that, like the CX-5, the CX-3 will continue with its current name and not move to the two-digit SUV naming structure found on the larger CX-30, American market CX-50, and Large Architecture SUVs, including the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90.

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Absent from Mazda’s earnings call was any mention of a new-generation Mazda 2 city car, pointing to the new-generation CX-3 as a single model replacement for both the current Mazda 2 and outgoing CX-3.

Mazda revealed the Vision X-Compact at the 2025 Tokyo motor show (below), providing the strongest hint at what to expect from the design of the new CX-3.

The Vision X-Compact featured short overhangs and a tall roofline, but abandons the six-window glasshouse of the original CX-3, with a closer proportional relationship to the compact Mazda 2, albeit with a taller roofline.

At the time of its reveal, Mazda did not announce what powertrain the Vision X-Compact used, but the 2026 financial report indicates an expansion of Mazda’s internally developed ‘Skyactiv-Z’ hybrid line-up.

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Set to make its first appearance in the CX-5, the Skyactiv-Z hybrid will form part of a multi-energy strategy for Mazda, which will allow the brand to tailor production between electrified, hybrid, and combustion engines, depending on demand.

Like the CX-5 before it, the CX-3 is expected to utilise a modified version of its existing platform (called the Skyactiv-B chassis on the CX-3 and Mazda 2), refreshed to bring it up to date and make it compatible with a hybrid powertrain.

Despite its age, the CX-3 is Australia’s best-selling Light SUV, with 4439 sales to the end of April 2026, ahead of the Toyota Yaris Cross (2731), Suzuki Jimny (2537) and Hyundai Venue (1938).