Like a growing number of foreign automakers, Mazda is one to have particular lines build in their largest market, right here in the US.
The lines of separation of global markets have been blurred over time with the movement over the past half-century of foreign models moving into different areas. Today, you’re more likely to buy a vehicle from a Japanese automaker that’s been built in the US rather than outside it. With most of the major automakers sold in the US offering assembly plants that bring many of the models we drive to the road, different companies are experiencing growth in areas that may not be their home of operations. This is certainly the case for Mazda.
Mazda is the fifth-largest automaker in Japan and its one that’s seen a trend of the sales of the models that wear the Mazda badge. The largest market for Mazda is North America, which accounts for nearly thirty percent of the overall sales. As the company looks to increase the growth in this market and increase upon the total models that have been sold over the past few years, the Mazda leadership team has made a bold but necessary move in order to make sure they can continue to grow the market share they have built in North America.
What is the Move Made by Mazda?
Not long ago, the current president and CEO of Mazda announced he’s going to step down. The date of this action will be June 26 which is after the annual Mazda shareholders’ meeting. This is when Masamichi Kogai will step down and be replaced by the current vice president Akira Marumoto who has been overseeing the operations in North American for a while. This change will take place to help Mazda focus on the market where they have had the greatest sales success over the past several years.
Mazda currently has global annual sales of nearly 1.6 million vehicles and has enjoyed rising sales in expanding markets. Even though this brand has grown to this level, Mazda is a small player in the global market and the competition in the US has improved to be poised to take some of the share back from Mazda with many models that are now nearly as active as the Mazda vehicles we currently enjoy on the road. With the benefits of the SkyActiv technology under the hood and the most active car that we love in the MX-5 Miata, Mazda has a lot to offer and the new leader can certainly help improve the growth of the brand.
Adding to the sensibility of this choice of leadership, Mazda has recently announced there will be a new plant in Alabama in a joint venture with Toyota. This new plant will represent a $1.6 billion investment from Mazda to offer a place to build the vehicles closer to the largest market for the brand. There are more partnerships that will take place with Toyota over the next few years as the two companies work together to offer more of what we want to drive. This new leadership for Mazda should offer us a more aggressive approach to the models we currently see in the US.
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