In Mazda’s July 2026 sales report, its sole sedan and one in every of its oldest models, the Mazda 3, nearly doubled its sales over last 12 months while the brand’s SUVs almost universally slid. The Japanese automaker sold 3,903 Mazda 3s within the U.S. last month, up a whopping 87.5% in comparison with July last 12 months. Isolating for the more popular sedan version, sales are up 91.8% year-over-year whereas the marginally dearer hatchback grew 77.4%.
Taking a look at the identical metric for Mazda’s other products, the whole lot except the entry-level CX-30 —which is arguably little greater than a lifted Mazda 3 hatchback — saw drops in sales. The CX-50, CX-70, CX-90, and even that shiny latest CX-5 all fell, leading to Mazda selling 18% fewer SUVs overall than it did in comparison with July 2025.
More surprising than the entire “sedan up, SUVs down” dynamic is the indisputable fact that the sedan in query is objectively ancient. Despite its design still looking pretty fresh, the present Mazda 3 got here out all the way in which back in 2018 — I remember since it was the topic of my very first automotive press launch back after I first began writing about cars for a living. This makes it eight years old, and for reference, the generation of Mazda 3 before this one lasted five. We’re frankly overdue for a brand new one, and now we have been for quite a while.
An indication of the times
The Mazda 3’s unexpected, newfound popularity might be macroeconomic. Fuel prices proceed to soar because the war within the Middle East rages on, and while the country is not mathematically in a recession, a K-shaped economy means for most individuals, things aren’t going great. It’s no wonder, then, that more people walking right into a Mazda dealership in 2026 are gravitating toward its smallest, most cost-effective product.
And never for nothing, even eight years within the Mazda 3 is a genuinely good, fun, and surprisingly nice economy automobile. Jalopnik’s in-house buying guru Tom McParland once called it “the perfect automobile for a brand new driver.” The shortage of a hybrid option dates it as does the small infotainment screen, nevertheless it’s a delight to drive and the inside design looks prefer it could’ve been drawn up yesterday.
That said, the Mazda 3 won out big as a function of sales growth, and SUVs still make up a much greater piece of the general pie. 3,903 Mazda 3s sold last month is way greater than expected but as a straight tally, the CX-5 still wins out at because the brand’s bestseller by a protracted shot, moving 12,068 units over the identical period. If things keep moving in the identical direction and the gap keeps closing, though, we could be in for a renaissance for not only the Mazda 3, but smaller, cheaper sedans generally.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
