3 things to know about the Mazda CX-30

It’s now been a few months since Mazda launched the CX-30 at the Geneva International Motor Show, and we still don’t know too much about this petite new crossover -- except that it is coming to the United States.

However, it wasn’t shown at the New York International Auto Show in April, so we’ll have to assume it’ll make its North American debut at the LA Auto Show in the fall.

So, what do we know?

Why it’s not called the CX-4

The CX-30 sits between the CX-3 and the CX-5 in terms of size and pricing, so using the CX-4 designation would have made sense. But -- there’s already a CX-4 in China, and it’s not this vehicle.

So, Mazda had to punt. We don’t think this will hearken in a completely new nomenclature for the brand, and we’re assuming this will be a one-off deviation from the single digit CX structure.

However, reality often deviates from expectations. So stay tuned.

What the engine lineup looks like

We know that globally, the CX-30 will be available with Skyactiv-G gasoline engine, Skyactiv-D diesel engine and the all-new Skyactiv-X gasoline engine that operates like a diesel. Additionally, there will also be a hybrid version of this vehicle available.

But what does that mean for the U.S. exactly? We don’t know for sure.

We can make a good bet that the vehicle will launch in the states with an engine that’s already here, which would be the 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G, 4-cylinder engine that also appears in the new Mazda3.

We have high hopes that the Skyactiv-X engine would soon follow – especially since we’ve had the chance to test this engine in a prototype vehicle and loved it.

But will the hybrid version or diesel engine make it here, too? No idea.

When it will be in the U.S.

At the Geneva show, exces said that the CX-30 will hit the European market sometime this summer and that it would come to the United States sometime after that – probably by the end of the year.

There was also no model year confirmation, but because of the timing, it makes sense for it to be a 2020 model.

We do have confirmation that the European model will be out imminently (this week or next) and that there will be some U.S. news coming in November.

The Bottom Line:

Mazda is going to have a bit of an uphill battle to climb with the CX-30 in the United States. Not only has Mazda deviated from its normal nomenclature, but CX-30 also sounds a lot like QX30, which is another small SUV from a completely different automaker.

The CX-30 looks great, and if the new direction Mazda set with the Mazda3 is anything to go by, it’ll have a distinctly upscale feel and it will be fun to drive.

So, maybe the name won’t matter?