Mazda has selected a cockpit domain controller (CDC) from Panasonic Automotive Systems for its all-new CX-5.
The vehicle introduces Mazda’s MAZDA E/E ARCHITECTURE+ electronic platform, which supports a redesigned human-machine interface (HMI), broader connectivity features, applications and driver-assistance systems.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Panasonic Automotive Systems’ CDC serves as the central cockpit system for these functions.
Designed as a cockpit platform for software-defined vehicles (SDVs), the CDC combines infotainment, head-up display (HUD) and instrument cluster functions in a single integrated system.
It also supports over-the-air (OTA) software updates, allowing vehicle functions to be updated after purchase.
Panasonic Automotive Systems said it has also added VirtIO, described as an open-standard virtualisation technology, to support more flexible software development.
Features include an OTA orchestrator function that sends updates across the broader cockpit system, including the HUD, instrument cluster and infotainment.
The system connects three displays through unified control, coordinating visuals, lighting and sound across them.
A separate driver personalisation system is designed to restore settings automatically for returning drivers, including driving position, seat and HUD settings, and climate control preferences.
It also includes voice control intended to reduce driver distraction.
Panasonic Automotive Systems said it is the first Japanese manufacturer to integrate the Unity 3D engine into in-vehicle systems, using it for real-time visualisations of vehicle data, including door status and turn signals, along with surrounding environment information in high-definition graphics.
Its HUD technology presents information within the driver’s field of view.
The redesigned CX-5 made its European debut in December 2025 and went on sale in Japan in May 2026.
A wider launch across North America and additional European markets is expected to follow.
Mazda reported a 5.7% year-on-year increase in global passenger vehicle sales to 101,074 units in May 2026, following a 9% decline to 95,596 units in the same month last year, with domestic sales falling by 9.5% to 8,965 units, while overseas sales rose by 7.5% to 92,109 units.
The CX-5 was the company’s best-selling model globally in May, with sales rising by over 2% to 25,998 units, or almost 26% of total sales, followed by the CX-30 with 17,160 units (+4%), and the CX-50 with 15,731 units (+74%).
