Today (19 January) is commonly known as Blue Monday: apparently the most depressing and miserable day of the year.
Although Blue Monday has been dismissed as nothing more than marketing pseudo-science, there is no doubt the third Monday of each year typically brings little to feel cheerful about.
In 2025, Volkswagen attempted to help stave off Blue Monday gloom by offering free Polo supermini-shaped cookies to social media fans.
This year, however, we are celebrating the new Navy Blue paint colour, announced today for the third-generation Mazda CX-5.
It means UK customers now have eight paint hues to select from when the new version of the Japanese marque’s family SUV arrives later this year.
Mazda gets the new SUV blues
Mazda is often associated with its popular Soul Red paint colour, but the marque is keen to highlight that blue has also been a part of its history.
In fact, the company has frequently had the blues, with more than 150 different shades of the colour found in Mazda’s back catalogue. These were worn by models from the obscure R360 coupe to the all-conquering MX-5 roadster.
Deciding on a specific shade of blue for the new CX-5 was a global effort by Mazda’s design teams.
Alena Gersonde, colour and material specialist at Mazda’s European R&D centre, said: “We follow a co-creation approach with our colleagues in Japan when developing new exterior colours. This means sharing proposals both digitally and physically, exchanging feedback from both sides and gradually narrowing down the most suitable shades for upcoming model years.
“This process guided the development of Navy Blue for the CX-5, and we are already applying the same approach for future colour generations.”
Deeper than Deep Crystal Blue
The second-generation Mazda CX-5, produced between 2016 and 2025, did offer customers the chance to choose blue paint. However, the latest model created a fresh challenge for Mazda’s design team.
According to Alena Gersonde: “The goal was to create a new standard blue to outperform Mazda’s popular Deep Crystal Blue.
“The result is a high-resolution appearance with strong contrast, vivid and expressive in bright sunlight, yet deep and elegant under cloudy skies or night.”
Commenting on the new colour, Jo Stenuit, Mazda’s European design director, said: “The all-new CX-5 evolves an instantly recognisable design with greater confidence and versatility.
“Navy Blue was chosen to naturally enhance its Kodo surfaces. It’s a colour that strengthens the design’s presence while feeling familiar, refined and easy to live with.”
New Mazda CX-5 due in 2026
Revealed last year, the third-generation CX-5 continues the use of Mazda’s ‘Kodo Design’ approach, but is a larger vehicle both inside and out. Boot capacity has increased by 61 litres versus its predecessor.
Mazda is in the process of developing a range of electric models, but the CX-5 will stick with petrol power. In the UK, that means 141hp 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with mild hybrid technology.
A six-speed automatic gearbox will be fitted to all versions, although buyers have choice between front- or all-wheel-drive traction.
Set to arrive this spring, UK prices and spec details for the new Mazda CX-5 will be confirmed soon.
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