Mazda and Subaru Just Had Their Best Months Ever

With tariffs set to increase prices across the board, buyers are getting in now before it's too late.

Photo by: Motor1.com

By: Brian Silvestro

Apr 2, 2025 at 3:00pm ET

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Mazda and Subaru revealed sales numbers for the first quarter of 2025, with each brand posting record numbers for the month of March. Mazda sales jumped by 16.1 percent compared to March 2024, while Subaru saw a 16.6-percent increase. The massive gains might have something to do with tariffs.

Mazda North America moved 43,097 vehicles in the month of March, the most in the brand's history. The CX-50, the CX-70, and the CX-90 all saw record sales, and even cars like the Mazda3 sedan and the MX-5 Miata increased sales by double-digit percentage points. Meanwhile, cars like Mazda3 hatchback and the CX-30 were down by double digits. The aging CX-5 was down only slightly year-over-year. Overall, Mazda sold 43,097 vehicles in March 2025, versus just 37,119 vehicles during the same month in 2024.

Model	March 2025	March 2024	YOY Change (%)
Mazda3 Sedan	2,516	1,881	33.8%
Mazda3 Hatch	1,014	2,138	-52.6%
MX-5 Miata	501	174	187.9%
MX-5 Miata RF	421	412	2.2%
CX-30	8,666	10,697	-19.0%
CX-5	12,801	13,789	-7.2%
CX-50	9,687	4,654	108.1%
CX-70	2,452	19	12805.3%
CX-9	0	2	-100%
CX-90	5,039	3,353	50.3%
Total	43,097	37,119	16.1%

Subaru of America managed to sell 71,478 vehicles in March, beating the company's previous single-month record of 70,039 cars set in August 2019. The Crosstrek, Legacy, and Outback were the biggest gainers, each posting double-digit percentage increases compared to March 2024. The Forester had its best month ever, selling over 22,000 units. Every model saw increases in sales compared to the same month last year, save for the Ascent and the WRX.

Model	March 2025	March 2024	YOY Change (%)
Ascent	4,584	5,174	-11.4%
BRZ	334	273	22.3%
Crosstrek	18,169	14,527	25.1%
Forester	22,570	21,045	7.3%
Impreza	3,049	2,836	7.5%
Legacy	2,540	1,658	53.2%
Outback	17,539	13,501	29.9%
Solterra	1,154	446	158.7%
WRX	1,539	1,837	-16.2%
Total	71,478	61,297	16.6%

Troy Poston, senior vice president of sales at Subaru, credits the record month to "retailers’ unwavering dedication to delivering outstanding service" and "building relationships through reliability and customer satisfaction." But there might be another reason for the boon in sales: tariffs.

The Trump administration tariffs, set to go into effect on Thursday, target all foreign-built cars and car parts, including vehicles coming from Japan. Vehicle pricing is expected to rise by $3,600 on average, according to analysts. Models from Mazda and Subaru are expected to be among the most heavily impacted.

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A smartly informed consumer would, theoretically, want to avoid paying more for a car if they had the chance. So it's likely many prospective buyers decided to make trips to the dealership before the tariffs come into effect, avoiding the inevitable increases in price.

That's just speculation right now, of course. We won't know the true impacts of the tariffs until later this year, when current inventory dries up. But something tells us these gains will be short-lived—and not just for Mazda and Subaru. The whole industry is about to go through a major shift.