Mazda Hoping New Crossover Will Kickstart US Sales Surge
Mazda will introduce another crossover model in 2021 aimed exclusively at the US market.
The unnamed new crossover will help Mazda kickstart its much needed US sales surge, company CEO CEO Masamichi Kogai told Automotive News in a recent interview. Kogai had previously hoped to grow Mazda’s US sales to over 400,000 annually by 2015, but the automaker has instead experienced two straight years of declining sales in the region. The crossover, which will be built in the United States, will slot into the automaker’s lineup without stepping on the toes of the existing CX-3, CX-5 and CX-9 crossovers.
“We have big expectations, (for the new crossover)” Kogai told AN. “This is our declaration that we are going to grow our business in the U.S.”
“We are actually going to introduce a totally new and different type of SUV,” he added. “R&D is coordinating with our North American operations on that right now.”
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Mazda is hoping the new crossover will win over the hearts of Americans as it will be designed exclusively for US customers and tailored toward their tastes. The automaker has room in its lineup between the CX-9 and CX-5 after it discontinued the CX-7 in 2012, but due to Kogai’s comments, we think Mazda is planning something other than a ‘CX’ badged crossover. We think a larger vehicle with a flat floor for loading items easier and Americanized-styling would certainly help Americans take notice of Mazda.
Other changes are also in store for Mazda over the coming few years. It will roll out its Skyactiv-X compression ignition engine in 2019, along with a mild hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle. It will also introduce an all-new design language in 2019 and a lightweight new vehicle platform to be used in the next-generation Mazda3. It’s restructuring its dealer network as well, Kogai said, renovating some storefronts whilst relocating others and revising its sales incentives programs.
[Source: Automotive News]
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