Mazda the inchworm, on the other hand, is now coiling up for more than a caterpillar-like movement.
This year, it will make a significant leap forward in an attempt to reinvent its lineup and brand image for a changing industry. Mazda expects the overhaul to result in a 35 percent increase in US sales to a record 450,000 in just four years.
In a nutshell, Mazda Motor Corp. is looking for a new vibe.
CEO Akira Marumoto’s audacious expansion strategy is not without risk. Mazda has been aiming for – but failing to achieve – 400,000 annual sales in the United States since 2013. And the new portfolio strains Mazda’s meagre research and development budget dangerously thin in an era when money is more important than ever.
Executives detailed the new push in a series of interviews and briefings with Automotive News, which included a test drive of Mazda’s newest crossover, the CX-60, at the company’s proving ground in western Japan.
The strategy is complicated.
It is predicated on new digital marketing strategies, redesigned retail networks, enlarged manufacturing footprints, and more efficient product creation techniques. Notably, the drive is reliant on a significant amount of electrification and assistance from Japanese partner Toyota.
However, the wager is particularly large on Mazda’s largest market – the United States.
Mazda is redoubling its efforts to boost sales in the United States, despite weak demand nearly everywhere else in the world. Customers in the United States have already responded. Mazda was tied for second place with luxury brand BMW on Consumer Reports’ 2022 brand report card. And Mazda had previously topped the list the previous year.
“We anticipate that the United States will continue to provide us with more consistent, robust growth in the future,” said Senior Managing Executive Officer Yasuhiro Aoyama, the company’s worldwide marketing and sales chief.