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NEWS
Five fresh Mazdas to drive new sales record
Mazda to renew its entire car range by 2016, including three volume sellersMazda Australia expects three of the five new models it will release by March 2016 to drive new sales records over the next two years.
The Japanese brand is on target to set a new Australian sales record and remain the nation’s number one full-line importer in 2013 after selling 94,618 vehicles to November this year – an increase of 0.3 per cent in a total market up 2.2 per cent.
But it believes its redesigned Mazda3 (due on sale in February), Mazda2 (expected to appear at the Geneva motor show a month later) and all-new CX-3 compact SUV will drive sales even higher over the next two years.
Mazda said at the Tokyo motor show two weeks ago that it will release five new models by the end of its 2016 fiscal year ending in March that year. This equates to the renewal of its entire passenger car range within about two years.
Speaking at an end of year function in Sydney, Mazda Australia Managing Director Martin Benders confirmed the five new models will include the new 3, new 2, new CX-9 and new MX-5, but declined to name the fifth model.
“Mazda Motor Corporation confirmed at the Tokyo motor show that there will be five new models available by the end of fiscal year 2016 in March 2016 and three of those will have significant volume impact for us locally,” he said.
“So we’ve got CX-5 and Mazda6 on the ground as full SKYACTIV products and we’ve got new Mazda3 at the beginning of next year, so obviously Mazda2, CX-9 and MX-5 are all up for renewal in that two-year period.
“There’s a fifth product that we can’t confirm anything about, so we’ll leave you to speculate.”
However, he all but confirmed ongoing speculation that Mazda will release an SUV smaller than the CX-5, the first Mazda model to incorporate the full range of ‘SKYACTIV’ chassis, body and powertrain technologies (The second was the new Mazda6 released this year.)
Benders effectively scotched recent reports that a CX-3 would not appear before 2016, confirming our report that the all-new Mazda2-based SUV would indeed emerge by 2015.
“I think most people were reasonably accurate with that, at least about what it might be, not so much about when it might be,” he said.
The local Mazda boss said three of five new models will generate “significant” sales volume in Australia, indicating that – unlike the new 2, 3 and CX-3 – the CX-9 and MX-5 would not be volume-sellers.
The new Mazda2 is expected to join the replacement for the car-maker’s top-selling model, the 3, on sale here next year, while the next MX-5 (which will be twinned with a new Alfa Romeo Spider) is confirmed for release in 2015. But it remains unclear exactly when in the next two years the new CX-9 and all-new CX-3 will bookend Mazda’s SUV line-up here.
In preparation for its new model influx, Mazda is renewing its focus on customer relations to position itself as a “premium Japanese” brand.
“With all of our products renewed by March 2016... We believe these new products will be the best available in competitive non-premium segments. Our plan is to improve the dealership experience. The product is now so good we need a premium customer experience.”
As part of this, Mazda will relaunch its public website early next year, around the same time its national retail network signs up to a new dealer agreement. However, Benders said most Mazda dealers “are already up to spec”.
“What I’m saying to our dealers is I don’t want to be the cheapest in any segment or the most expensive – but the best in each segment,” he said.
“We’re not talking like Honda when they say they’re now premium and the next day they drop prices.”
The Mazda Australia boss said he expects the new Mazda3 (pictured) to buck the trend of an overall market that he doesn’t expect to improve until the second half of next year.
The total industry has declined over the past four months but remains marginally up year-on-year and is expected to settle at a new record of 1.13-plus million.
“My best guess is 2014 will be flat year over year,” he said.
“From our perspective we think Mazda3 is going to be so strong we should be able to play against whatever softness there may be.”
Hyundai has closed the gap to Mazda in third place (behind Toyota and Holden) with an annual growth rate of 6.5 per cent, but remains more than 5000 sales behind while Mazda prepares to finish (“well above”) 100,000 sales for the second time.
Despite being at the end of its model cycle, the outgoing Mazda3 still contributed 3666 sales in November, maintaining its position as Australia’s second best selling model – within about 2000 sales of the Toyota’s Corolla, which it defeated the past two years.
Mazda says it expects the new 3 to return to the form of the first generation of 2004, which attracted a higher proportion of mid- to high-grade models than entry-level models.
Unlike the outgoing model, 70 per cent of sales of which go to the base Neo grade, Mazda rarely advertised the price of the first generation 3.
Mazda said aggressive 3 run-out base pricing of $19,990 was impacting high-grade sales of the 2, which dates back seven years and is experiencing the biggest downturn of any Mazda model this year – down more than 12 per cent.
In contrast, higher pricing for top-spec versions of the more upmarket MkIII Mazda3 would see it compete with cut-price European small cars like the Volkswagen Golf (from $21,490) and Mercedes-Benz A-Class (from $35,600).
Mazda Australia marketing chief Alastair Doak said the company was not concerned with Euro overlap because the new 3 will offer “unrivalled value via more standard equipment and engine performance”.
“We did a cents check against A-Class and other cars we wouldn’t normally, and it stacks up very, very well,” he said.
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Written byMarton Pettendy
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