- mazda will no longer sell the diesel-powered cx-5 in the u.s., as first reported by cnet.
- the 2.2-liter skyactiv-d diesel engine was offered in the compact crossover for the 2019 model year.
- plans for a skyactiv-d version of the mazda 6 sedan have also been dropped.
mazda's long diesel saga is over. the company confirmed to c/d that it is dropping the skyactiv-d turbodiesel from its u.s. lineup due to low consumer demand, meaning that this engine will no longer be offered in the cx-5 crossover. plans for the mazda 6 skyactiv-d have also been dropped.
the cx-5 skyactiv-d finally went on sale in the u.s. for the 2019 model year after many years of ups and downs regarding mazda's diesel plans and the emissions certification process. we tested a 2019 cx-5 diesel and achieved a 34-mpg result in our 75-mph highway fuel economy test, better than its epa estimate. but the 168-horsepower diesel inline-four was priced significantly higher than the cx-5's more powerful gasoline engines, and did not find a large audience. the cx-5 diesel is not listed on the epa site for either the 2020 or 2021 model years.
in april 2019, mazda announced that the mazda 6 mid-size sedan would also get the skyactiv-d engine, along with an option for all-wheel drive. that vehicle never materialized, and a page on mazda's consumer site about the model has now disappeared.
there are now very few diesel-powered cars left for sale in the u.s. in the wake of volkswagen's dieselgate scandal that broke in 2015, automakers such as bmw, mercedes-benz, chevrolet, and jaguar pulled their passenger-car diesels from the u.s. market. several pickup trucks and a suvs do still offer diesels in america, however, such as fca's ecodiesel v-6 found in the jeep wrangler and gladiator and ram 1500, and gm's duramax inline-six found in chevy, gmc, and cadillac full-size suvs and pickup trucks.