Mazda CX-5 is born from the Mazda Minagi Concept

Mazda has revealed that the Mazda Minagi Concept will arrive in production form at Frankfurt as the Mazda CX-5, a compact SUV.

Back at the Geneva Motor Show this year Mazda pitched up with the oddly named Mazda Minagi Concept, a compact SUV which we said would arrive in showrooms as the Mazda CX-5. And it is.

Mazda has announced that the CX-5 will be going in to production and that we will be seeing a production-ready version at Frankfurt in September, which suggests that the CX-5 will be in a showroom near you in early 2012.

The nice think about Mazdas – apart from the way they’re built – is the fact they stand out a bit from the crowd. The CX-5 is going to be aimed at the likes of the Ford Kuga, Hyundai ix35 and VW Tiguan, but will – we hope – be less generic than they are.

Mazda says the CX-5 will be the first production Mazda to feature the ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’ design theme (I know, but they all play the same pretentious games with design influences), which we first saw in the Mazda Shinari Concept last year (which in itself points at the Mazda RX-9).

Mazda are also equipping the CX-5 with their SkyActiv technologies, which is Mazda’s very sensible riposte to all the hoo-haa over electric and hybrid cars. SkyActiv technologies aim to make the technology we have work more efficiently and more economically – surely a sensible move.

Real details somewhere between now and Frankfurt in September

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