Mazda to stick with sedans and diesels

Mazda says sedans and diesels are still very much a part of its future, despite the continued global shift towards SUVs and Volkswagen's Dieselgate scandal, but a comeback for its Eunos luxury brand is not.

Unswayed by slowing demand for traditional passenger vehicles and the VW emissions scam, Mazda president Masamichi Kogai that the possibility of axing models like the flagship Mazda6 is "zilch" and that the company's SKYACTIV-D diesel engines will also be upgraded for new-generation models from 2017.

Mazda has already flagged its intention to meet growing SUV demand with an all-new model -- dubbed either CX-4 or CX-6 – based on the Koeru concept, but Kogai said Mazda will not turn its back on its core passenger models.

"The current trend is that the SUV is taking more [of a] share of passenger vehicle sales," he admitted at last week's Los Angeles motor show. "But as for doing away with the sedan altogether, the possibility is zilch. It's the Mazda flagship model."

Kogai said it was important that sedan models remained a part of the Mazda line-up -- especially if SUVs are to maintain the driving dynamics and efficiencies enjoyed by the current range.

"Firstly, we have to make sure we develop great performing sedan vehicles in B, C and D segments," he stated.

"We perfect our driving dynamics with the sedan platform, then we have an SUV top-hat that makes sure the driving dynamics are great when we develop them. I understand SUV demand is growing, but other passenger vehicles are still important."

Equally important is the development of Mazda's diesel engine family, said Kogai, who admits Mazda is acutely aware of buyer perceptions of diesel-powered vehicles post Dieselgate.

But he said turbo-petrol engines such as the new SKYACTIV-G 2.5T that powers the all-new CX-9 would not replace diesels.

"Well, there's nothing that we have actually decided, but we are going to see how the people [customers] feel about this engine with the CX-9, and then look at any variations we'd like to study – and see if there are any other applications we are going to have.

"It achieves the same torque at the same RPM as our 2.2-litre diesel engine; however, the flavour of the two engines is totally different," he explained.

"The diesel engine offers great fuel economy as well. In that sense, I think it's important for us to continue with diesel engines, and also gasoline engines.

"As the responsibility of the car manufacturing company we are going to do is to clearly appeal the benefits of our diesel engines – which are clean and also high performance and also the great fuel efficiency that we offer. So by appealing these benefits we are going to make sure to continue to boosting diesel demand," he continued.

Mazda has now also committed to resurrecting its trademark rotary engine with the RX-VISION concept, which previews a belated replacement for the RX-8 sports coupe, but has admitted a relaunch of its MPS performance car range was now on the backburner.

We also spoke to Kogai-san about the potential of reincarnating a luxury sub-brand in the style of Hyundai with its Genesis spin-off.

Mazda has been there before of course, with the now defunct Eunos sub-brand -- a 1980s venture that sought to offer luxury variants of Mazda's regular passenger vehicles in much the same way Lexus is to Toyota or Infiniti to Nissan.

The experiment ended in 1996 when high list prices, slow sales and a cooling Japanese economy (dubbed Babaru Keiki) forced the brand's demise.

"We do not have any plans to create another Eunos-style luxury brand, because what we want to do is to continue to provide great products to our customers at an affordable price," he clarified.

"Also, for our engineers, we ask that technological development is affordable or low-cost and that they are always looking at the best possible technology [for the price]. By doing that I think we can be successful. If we deviate, and forget that basic policy, we are not able to succeed."