Is The Mazda CX-5 Diesel Officially Dead In The U.S.?

Mazda might have quietly retired the CX-5 SkyActiv-D diesel from the United States, as the 2020 model year is still nowhere to be found, despite production of the 2021 MY believed to be starting in just a little over a month.

There is no official confirmation to back up this rumor yet, but it seems that a handful of 2019 CX-5 SkyActiv-D vehicles are still on sale, with an MSRP of $41,000, or $3,845 more than the similarly equipped, gas-powered 2020 CX-5 Signature.

Watch Also: Is The 2020 Mazda CX-5 A Worthy Challenger To The Honda CR-V And Toyota RAV4?

Looking for an official response surrounding the possible demise of the oil-burning variant, CarsDirect reached out to Mazda, which said that “we cannot confirm any details for the CX-5 diesel at this time”. Two months ago, they got an even more shady answer on the same subject, as the automaker explained that “with the current state of the world, many things are tentative”. Another spokesperson said that there were no issues with the emissions certification of the model, so your guess is as good as ours as to why they might have given up on it.

Released in the States in April 2019, the CX-5 SkyActiv-D is powered by a 2.2-liter engine with a sequential twin turbocharger that promises smooth response across the rev range. It develops 168 HP (170 PS / 125 kW) and 290 lb-ft (393 Nm) of torque, packs a bunch of safety systems and is offered with all-wheel drive. The EPA-estimated fuel consumption stands at 27/30/28 mpg (8.7/7.8/8.4 l/100 km) in city/highway/combined, a 15 percent improvement over the gasoline-powered version.