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New model blitz and favourable post-Brexit landscape signal growth, says Jeremy Thomson
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Mazda recently launched an updated version of the CX-5 SUV, its best-selling car, and is primed to unveil the CX-60 SUV as the first in a wave of hybrid models.
As the brand embarks on a pivotal era of transformation and electrification, we caught up with UK managing director Jeremy Thomson to hear just how radically its positioning has evolved in recent years and how it could reach even loftier heights in the near future.
What are your priorities for Mazda in the UK? "Our aspirations are to become a credible alternative to the traditional mainstream premium and that means non-German. We're not looking to mimic German premium because that's very well catered for with the existing incumbents and probably impossible to beat them at their own game."But we do strongly feel that there is a place for a Japanese premium and that means defining what we mean by Japanese premium and that will take some time to deliver.
"At the moment, of course, Lexus operates in that area and is about a third the size of Mazda in sales terms. We're trying to find a slightly different space from where they sit today."
So do Lexus and Mazda share some positioning?
"I'm not sure I could say why not. Lexus has really been the only premium Japanese brand. There is no one else in that space.
"The rest of the Japanese brands operate in mainstream, though obviously all aspire to move towards the right-hand corner of the brand chart over time.
"I think we've got some momentum now behind our journey and we have quite a unique approach to powertrains and the overall driving experience.
"The belief that the driver is at the heart of the car is more than just a brand cliché: it really is something that is designed in to Mazda products, going back to the fundamentals of Mazda MX-5." How do you target a mainstream audience with more premium products?"It starts in quality, styling, technology and the features we offer the driver - many as standard. It's the overall experience. I wouldn't point at any one aspect.
"We have a different approach to design to some of our other Japanese manufacturer colleagues in that the 'car as art' is important to Mazda, to try to have simplicity and a beautiful product that customers aspire to, rather than clutter. We've all perhaps been victims and creators of that in the past."
Is this approach resonating with buyers?
"The sales stats suggest they are. What is brand? It's the premium someone's willing to pay above and beyond the cost of the materials made to make something.
"The reason you'll pay extra is that you have a desire to own that brand and it's not always a tangible thing. You're not buying something physical.
"Last year, the industry was up 1% and we were up 14%, and in private retail the industry was up 6% and we were up 12%. That's in a crisis year.
"People are still seeking out and wanting to own Mazda products, and as we go in 2022, we anticipate growing our volumes by around 25%, which is way ahead of the expected industry growth, and we'll be doing that off the back of extraordinary customer demand at the moment."
How is Mazda evolving its business model in the UK?
"We've decided to stick with the traditional dealer relationship, which serves us and our customers very well. Different manufacturers have different reasons for going down the agency route, but we don't think it's for us.
"Our dealers in lockdown made great leaps forward in terms of online transactions and similarly we've supported them with updates to the way we approach it.
"In recent weeks, we've introduced a stock checker and reservation process within our website, so you can reserve a Mazda for a £99 fully refundable fee, which gives you the confidence – in a world of almost no stock – if you identify a car from a local dealer which fits your needs, you can tag it while you continue that journey.
"We still believe it's going to be mainly omni-channel. We don't believe there will be much evidence, in the coming years, of a full end-to-end online purchase process.
"We believe the value to the customer is in the interpersonal engagement with well-trained and enthusiastic dealer staff."
Will Mazda UK be ready to meet the 2030 EV deadline?
"We have one BEV today, the Mazda MX-30. It hasn't had a full year of sales but in 2021 it was approaching 10% of our total volume. That's a little behind the overall market at around 11% BEV last year.
"The SMMT forecasts BEVs will still be less than one-fifth of all car sales in 2023. By then, we will be well on the way to launching five HEVs, five PHEVs and three EVs globally, the majority of which I expect to see in the UK.
"We've made a full commitment that we'll be electrified in time for the 2030 and 2035 deadlines in the UK.
"What I think is interesting is the nuance within that, the cadence of it and the appropriateness of it to what people actually want to buy and what they're capable of having.
"Our multi-platform strategy gives us many more options for people's quite different approaches to this.
"Will we be ready for these legislative lines in the sand? Absolutely, we've got a business to run.
"But it's not going to be as binary as 'the internal combustion engine is dead and the electric car is the only way forward today'. We have a much more progressive and nuanced approach to it."
Do a lot of Mazda customers still tie the brand into the legacy of the MX-5?
"Yes, in a very helpful way to be honest. It provides a very positive anchor to the brand - a kind of focal point – and when you talk to customers about an MX-5, they know what it is so you don't have to explain the principles of a lightweight, affordable roadster.
"I'm truly hopeful there will be a place for that car line for many, many years to come."
Is Brexit having an effect on Mazda's imports?
"Interestingly, now it's resolved, Brexit has not been a difficulty for Mazda. We were paying tariffs to Europe because 100% of our cars came from Japan. As long as I've been at Mazda, we've been paying significant import tariffs - so there's always been a bit of a glass ceiling on what Mazda could achieve in the past.
"Last year, there was a UK-Japan bilateral trade agreement which means we now follow the reduction in tariffs that Europe does, which means the UK tariffs this year are half what they were pre-Brexit, so that's a positive.
"And in addition to that, all our cars used to come to Europe by boat, then they were shipped to the UK and distributed to dealers, but in the next few months, all production will come to the UK and we will have control of our own local compound for 100% of our supply.
"And then on top of that, you've got currency exchange. Since the conclusion of Brexit, the pound-yen has strengthened so the money we return to Japan for any car sold is now quite considerably better than it was in recent years."
We went from an MPS to the RC350. If Mazda want to join the 'premium' side, they need to do something with there sound proofing, the road noise in our MPS, or our daughters CX-5 is horrendous. They could also move their interior away from the standard molded plastic and 'trick' it up a bit.
I'll give the MPS one thing though, it's a quick little thing, that little 2.3l Turbo when in a Mazda 3, goes like the proverbial.
Interesting subject. Three decades ago, Mazda had a chance to sell upmarket vehicles with an planned, entirely new, Premium Division (Amati). Their Ford overseers, however, concerned about the economy, recession, and costs, nixed the whole project, and that was that.
In fact, the Mazda Millenia, a fairly large upmarket sedan that featured a then-new Atkinson Cycle engine as an option, was supposed to be the first Amati product. But, when the project got nixed, it would up being sold in Mazda showrooms next to the large Mazda 929 sedan. Not surprisingly, with both of them impacting each other's sales, both of them were dropped not long afterwards. I sampled and test-drove a Millenia....interesting power plant, but I wasn't very impressed with the car itself. Seemed somewhat loosely-built, creaks in the structure, ride somewhat on the firm side for a luxury sedan, interior not terribly plush, and just didn't have the precision-feel that its would-be competitors from Lexus and Acura did. The sister 929 was also not terribly impressive....IMO somewhat haphazardly-engineered compared to their superb small and mid-size sedans, which, in a number of ways, drove like Poor-Persons'-BMWs. I owned three smaller Mazdas myself, over the years.
Now that Mazda is free from Ford oversight, let's see if they can produce a true upmarket product today, even without the Amati name, that avoids the (IMO) former weaknesses of the Millenia.
Not seeing any real connection to "upmarket." Current models and what's in the pipeline look nicely finished on the inside. Plain and generic on the outside.
Interesting subject. Three decades ago, Mazda had a chance to sell upmarket vehicles with an planned, entirely new, Premium Division (Amati). Their Ford overseers, however, concerned about the economy, recession, and costs, nixed the whole project, and that was that.
In fact, the Mazda Millenia, a fairly large upmarket sedan that featured a then-new Atkinson Cycle engine as an option, was supposed to be the first Amati product. But, when the project got nixed, it would up being sold in Mazda showrooms next to the large Mazda 929 sedan. Not surprisingly, with both of them impacting each other's sales, both of them were dropped not long afterwards. I sampled and test-drove a Millenia....interesting power plant, but I wasn't very impressed with the car itself. Seemed somewhat loosely-built, creaks in the structure, ride somewhat on the firm side for a luxury sedan, interior not terribly plush, and just didn't have the precision-feel that its would-be competitors from Lexus and Acura did. The sister 929 was also not terribly impressive....IMO somewhat haphazardly-engineered compared to their superb small and mid-size sedans, which, in a number of ways, drove like Poor-Persons'-BMWs. I owned three smaller Mazdas myself, over the years.
Now that Mazda is free from Ford oversight, let's see if they can produce a true upmarket product today, even without the Amati name, that avoids the (IMO) former weaknesses of the Millenia.
I've always felt Mazda delivered better driving experiences than most of their comparable Japanese competitors, and if you opt for the higher trim levels the interiors were generally pretty good. It's certainly not far fetched for Mazda to move upmarket, but no brand with an already established brand perception will move upmarket based on one product alone. The only way that can ever happen is through the sustained delivery of better product and investment in the brand positioning over time. So not impossible, but it isn't going to happen overnight.
Having owned 3 Mazdas (P5, NB Miata, and Mazdaspeed3), huge fan and look forward to their offerings. I think they're pretty underrated since they're such a small car company compared to their competitors.
Yes, I know. Carmaker went into it in detail...and he is very good at what he does. I was only describing it in a very general sense. The relationship between Ford and Mazda was always a very tenuous one at best.
One thing I will stand on, however, is that from actual test-drive and ownership experience, I didn't think that either the large 929 or Millenia had the same attention paid to them that Mazda's superb-driving smaller sedans did, which, in a number of ways, could be compared to BMWs.
Yes, I know. Carmaker went into it in detail...and he is very good at what he does. I was only describing it in a very general sense. The relationship between Ford and Mazda was always a very tenuous one at best.
One thing I will stand on, however, is that from actual test-drive and ownership experience, I didn't think that either the large 929 or Millenia had the same attention paid to them that Mazda's superb-driving smaller sedans did, which, in a number of ways, could be compared to BMWs.
I actually purchased the 1992 Mazda 929 Sentia over the similarly priced 1992 Lexus ES300; both only a fraction cheaper than the Acura Legend.
IMO, I thought the 929 looked just right, while that 2ES looked too futuristic.
That 2ES had the most expensive plastics ever! My 1996 3ES had cheaper plastics.
The 929 had more rear legroom.
The 929's 3.0 V6 Quad Cam also had more bottom end punch and was smoother to rev.
Best of all, the 929 had superb rear wheel drive light power steering, with much less self-centering and far less torque steer, and most importantly, the 929 had throttle power oversteer.
When I dump both cars into roundabouts and corners, the ES was just FWD-based understeer junk; just like comparing a GS to an ES.
It's not just RWD, but the 929's front wishbones and rear multilink kept the tires far more perpendicular to the road surface than the Lexus 2ES's cheap simple front and rear MacPherson struts.
The combination of bottom end torque and rear wheel drive meant that the 929 was much easier and more fun to drive than the top selling Lexus ES and its superb luxury network.
The RWD 929 had a much tighter turning circle than 2/3ES which had to do lots of 3-point turns.
The RWD 929 steering felt sharp, while the FWD 2ES steering felt dead and lifeless.
The 929 also had a longer wheelbase type ride [with less pitching], and the spring rates was slightly softer riding.
Both 929 and Lexus ES300 used the same metal-resin-metal sandwich for superb sound insulation.
The 2ES had lethargic bottom end torque, and had fractionally more firewall sound deadening.
By 1996, my 3ES had a reworked 3.0 V6, and the bottom end torque was much improved, and smoother revving.
Neither 929 nor 2ES had creaks nor rattles, and I'm very picky with creaks and rattles. If anything, it was the 2ES which had more sharpness in its ride, because back in those days, the ES was a sporty version of the Camry with heavy duty suspension.
The main downside to the 929 which most people didn't like was the trunk!
Because the fuel tank was mounted between the rear strut towers, the trunk only had half the length and half the volume with no passthrough - today, RWD sedans mount the fuel tank under the rear seat.
If you get picky, the 929's low roofline meant less headroom too.
While the swooping rear doors diminished the shoulder room.
However, do keep in mind that back in those days, the ES ran a 1" lower roofline than Camry, so an ES didn't have that much headroom either, but it was a bit better than Mazda 929.
The later generations of Mazda 929's from 1987-91 and 91-95 powered by V6's with multi-link suspension were very good cars, but they could NOT undo the legacy of the famous imported Toyota Cressida's, which were replaced by the Lexus ES's.
The 1988-92 Toyota Cressida was the best selling car in that segment.
It had multilink suspension and metal-resin-metal sandwich too.
It was small inside, but the best selling.
The Mazda 929 struggled to undo the Cressida, which was later replaced by the Lexus ES.
The Mazda Millenia nee Eunos 800 in some markets came in about 1994.
It was FWD based.
It wasn't as stylish IMO.
The interior was smaller, esp less legroom than 929.
The 2.3 or 2.5 V6 Miller cycle had some punch.
It did have front wishbones and rear multi-links, but the suspension was FWD-based and firm.
IMO, the Millenia was clearly subpar to both the Mazda 929 and the Lexus 2ES.
I did own a 1992 Mazda 626 powered by a torquey and silky smooth 2.5 V6 with quad cams and cheap single lower link MacPherson struts all around, and it had the same metal-resin-metal sandwich for superb sound insulation, but it was so firm riding that I gave it to my sister 9 months later.
Its predecessor, the 1988-92 626 was also very firm riding.
The Mazda 6 from 2000 to today have all been firm riding.
Mazda’s smaller cars had famous chassis dynamics because the smaller Mazdas were generally very firm riding compared to Toyotas, Hondas, BMW and Benz.
Interestingly, the Germans and even Europeans in general are famous for chassis dynamics, however the Europeans do NOT achieve their famous chassis dynamics by firm springs and firm dampers.
The Germans and even French Peugeot’s are very compliant and comfortable, yet they still grip and grip and grip.
For example, people used to compare 911’s with Subaru WRX.
The 911 was compliant, yet it gripped, gripped and gripped.
The WRX was teeth shattering, and it would skitter over bumpy corners.
Here is Mazda's new RWD and AWD CX-60. Honestly, this top trim level exterior doesn't look great to me at all. I think lower trims with the fender trims non-paint matched will look better. The "narrow-body" does look narrow and I think the wider US models will likely look a lot better. The interior is beautiful and looks great!
02-28-22, 02:55 PM
Mazda UK Wants to be a Luxury Brand
Three decades ago, Mazda had a chance to sell upmarket vehicles with an planned, entirely new, Premium Division (Amati). Their Ford overseers, however, concerned about the economy, recession, and costs, nixed the whole project, and that was that.
