The CX-5 crossover, placed between MAZDA3  and MAZDA CX-7, won't even become production ready until 2013 when it drops into Superior Mazda in Bentonville, AR. That hasn't stopped the Japanese auto maker from teasing the car online. Images and specs have been popping up all over the web.

Mazda promises best-in-class fuel economy for CX-5, which puts it at 28 mpg city, 38 mpg highway. There might be a diesel variant in North America too.

"The biggest outflow from the C-car segment (Mazda 3) is into the small crossover segment," said Jim O'Sullivan, President of Mazda North America. "The CX-7 is for some people a little bit too big of a stretch. The CX-5 will not be a niche player." O'Sullivan expects 2013's Mazda CX-5 to sell over 58,000 in the US alone, becoming the  brand's No. 2 seller.¹

  MAZDA CX-5 will seat 5, sit on a car frame, and be powered by Mazda's Skyactiv-G 2.0-liter, inline four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine standard. This powerplant, when added to the chassis of CX-5, is expected to hit 162 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 155 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm.

Stay tuned for the latest on all Mazda products and concepts.

Source: ¹http://www.insideline.com/mazda/cx-5/2013/2013-mazda-cx-5-prototype-first-drive.html