Mazda to top ton with help from one-tonne

Mazda says it will top 100,000 sales Down Under by 2014. The target set earlier this year, will be met largely by natural growth but also with the assistance of an all-new commercial model, says Mazda Australia boss, Doug Dickson.

Dickson told the Carsales Network that he expected that between now and 2014, growth in key Mazda markets such as Light and Small cars would outstrip overall market growth.

"Our key market segments -- the areas where we best perform -- have typically shown around twice the growth of the market as a whole," Dickson said at last week's Berlin launch of the SKY range of low emission technologies

"The segments have been doing it for some time and we expect that trend to continue."

According to Dickson Mazda Australia believes the local market will grow at around 1.5 per cent overall for the next few years. If Mazda can achieve double that, it's expected 2010 total of around 85,000 cars will grow to around 95,000 'naturally' by 2014.

Dickson says not to expect any significant expansion of the markets in which Mazda competes, but signals he expects the replacement for the BT-50 one-tonne light commercial to perform better in terms of both overall sales and delivering a better mix of high-spec, higher profit volume.

"We'll get new [passenger car] product -- the normal replacement cycle, not new segments -- and we believe we can do significantly better with those core models like 2, 3, and 6... [But] we're also looking for good results from our new one-tonne utility," Dickson explained.

"Light commercials don't get significantly changed over all that often and when you get an all-new model there's a significant lift in style, fit-for-purpose and so on."

Dickson says Mazda's share of the one-tonne market sits at around 5 per cent currently. He expects the new one-tonner to boost that.

"We're not expected to match overall market share -- not the same sort of results as core passenger. We're just looking for a reasonable level of increase given the freshness of product in what is a very competitive segment."

"Mazda is well known in the core passenger segments but we're still not that well known in the one-tonne market. At the moment our BT-50 is in favour with the industrial end with the cab-chassis but is not so well known with dual-cab, recreational and lifestyle market.

"That's where the new vehicle will come in," Dickson opined.

Global head of Mazda marketing Masahiro Moro is a big fan of the new one-tonner -- which all Mazda execs are studiously avoiding labelling as BT-50. The Carsales Network understands the vehicle, developed in conjunction with Ford's T6 in part in Australia, will feature unique Mazda styling inside and out; something Moro's comment confirm.

"The new vehicle is very competitive, very Mazda," Moro-San told the Carsales Network.

"In the past we shared more than technology and platform with Ford. This time we have gone our separate paths from Ford -- a completely different style. Their car is more Ford, ours is more Mazda."

Moro described the new commercial as "very agile, nimble and fun to drive".

"The interior quality is in a different league... It is no longer a truck."

Mazda's new BT is expected to debut 'alongside' Ford's version at this year's Australian International Motor Show at Darling Harbour in October.

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