ASH8

My guess is this 'could' be an interim (temporary) appointment for about a year.

ie, put in a Japan exec to look over everything/report while they look inside USA for a local to take over, it is not their normal protocol to parachute a Japan native into this position.
Every other Mazda Distributor has a local as CEO, sorry 'President'.

Clearly MMC does not think much about the current US VP who is overlooked or does not have it in him or never will or does not want to. IMO the writing is on the wall for this fella.

gwilliams6

2016 Mazda CX-9 First Review - Kelley Blue Book

I apologize if this was posted before. I did not see it here earlier.

Are-Ex-Eight

iTrader: (1)

Shouldn't be long now to see these state side.

Mazda Starts 2017 CX-9 Production In Hiroshima

j9fd3s

having worked at Mazda dealerships, i agree. i think MMC, hasn't really liked the MNAO people for a while.

i could go on with details, but it just seems like MNAO doesn't get the memos... or topically, they don't know if we're even getting the Cx9 in the US

ASH8

Not new news, but this is the Mazda USA CX-9 (TC) micro-site.

2016 Mazda CX-9 7-Passenger SUV - 3 Row Family Car | Mazda USA

Not sure I like the promo headline of "INDULGE EVERY SENSE. INCLUDING COMMON SENSE"


And yes this model does have "rear'' radar control (alert and auto braking support) RSCBS , as does the recent 2nd updated GJ Mazda 6 (in Australia).

ASH8

New YT short promo out down under on new TC CX-9.

Like many I don't like any SUV, but this new CX-9 would have to be the best looking SUV ever!..


I guess most of you know that the interior of this beast is Lexus quality.
Napa leather, real aluminium fittings and real wood (grain) from a Japanese musical instrument maker is used...among other things.

hornbm

iTrader: (1)

I noticed at least in the pictures that mazda seems to have taken interior quality up a notch.

This bodes well for the rx-vision.

I just hope to god Mazda has a 6 cylinder in the works somewhere. I'm still not convinced that a 4 cylinder is right for this size of car. Turbo or not.

RX8-User

woops moment on Mazda's part

ASH8

Almost certain Mazda in the USA joins the rest of the Mazda world with i-stop in the new 2016 TC CX-9 2.5T.

gwilliams6

Volvo just went that turbo-4 route with their new XC90 top of the line SUV and just garnered SUV of the Year Award

http://www.motortrend.com/news/2016-...v-of-the-year/

So both Volvo and Mazda believe that turbo-4 cylinder engines, with huge torque at low revs, are appropriate, and that the public will buy their top-of-the-line SUV's so equipped.

hornbm

iTrader: (1)

Yes a turbo 4 cylinder clearly worked so well for the CX-7, which was a smaller car...

As someone who is in the market for a SUV ish family car for my wife, 4 cylinder = no sale.

4 cylinders sound like *** and lack the smoothness of a i6 or v6.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

The 2.5L four cylinder in the CX-5 is more than enough in normal mode and quite peppy in Sport, with another 100HP and way more torque I am sure it will be plenty. I would much rather have that than any V6 Mazda has ever put out.

neit_jnf

2016 Mazda CX-9 Achieves Best-in-Class[1] Combined EPA Fuel Economy Rating - Mar 2, 2016

EPA-Estimated MPG - City/Highway/Combined

FWD - 22/28/25

AWD - 21/27/23

gwilliams6

With a 32 percent improvement in fuel economy over the previous V-6 CX-9, don't expect Mazda to go back to any V-6 here for their CX-9. Better torque, less weight, better handling and better fuel economy with some innovative new tricks with this turbo setup. Good article to share, thanks neit jnf

ASH8

Mazda Sales figures are out for both Australia and North America..

So far in 2016 Mazda NA sales have gone backwards selling less units when compared to the 2 months start of 2015... February 2016 was down 16% with 21,544 vehicles...!!
(Jan 2016 down 2.8% with 19,703 units)
Mazda Reports February Sales - Mar 1, 2016

What the heck is wrong with NA?

In the mean time, 'Down Under' it is the complete opposite.

For the first time in its history Mazda Australia has sold over 10,000 vehicles in successive months, according to VFACTS figures released today.
After 10,016 January 2016 sales were recorded, Mazda backed up this performance setting a new February 2016 benchmark of 10,205 car, SUV and utility sales, bettering the previous February record by over 1,000 retails. It is Mazda's best start to a year ever.

Sales were up 12.7 per cent Year-On-Year (YOY) giving Mazda Australia a 10.6 per cent market share.

Bladecutter

Have you forgotten about the CX-5 Stop sale?
That definitely reduced some sales.
But, still up, year over year.

CX-9 sales were down over 1k units, but that's because of the generation change.

There's the loss of nearly 2k Mazda 5's because they stopped selling them

Mazda 3 sales are down 1600 units, and Mazda 6 sales are down over 1400 units.
Fewer Americans are buying sedans right now, because gas is cheap.

Overall, only MX-5 and CX-5 sales were up year over year.

Plus it's February.
Less days to sell a car in this month.

So, the problem isn't with Americans, it's with the product that Mazda is selling, and isn't appealing to the standard mass buyer in America. I'm fine with that, but the people who depend on Mazda making barrels of cash might not be so happy.

So, how do you make the product more appealing to mass consumer Americans?

Do you take a page out of Hyundai's playbook, and increase the warranty length?
If Mazda's cars are reliable enough, maybe it's time to compete in that regard.

Do you take a page out of Dodge's playbook, and Hellcat all the things?
So many members on here would lose their minds, and would come up with excuse after excuse why they aren't buying them themselves.

Or do you take a page out of Ford and GM's playbook, and just discount the living snot out of everything, because you will totally make up the losses with increased sales.

Personally, I think Mazda is taking too long to get new product to market.
CX-3 and MX-5 hit showrooms way too late last year, and this year, the new CX-9 won't hit showrooms until the winter is over, and buying habits have changed. Sedan sales will increase when spring arrives, or when gas prices go back up. Spring is coming, and so will MX-5 sales increase as the weather gets nicer.

Honestly, Mazda needs to determine which segment it wants to increase its sales in, and start producing more cars, and getting them onto showrooms.

BC.

ASH8

??,,no..
The same applies to where I live, the CX-5 was stop sale here too..

Excuses, we can do without.
Delivery of models is what it is, it has to be scheduled, they are going flat out with production.
Supply (numbers) is not a problem in NA.

Discounting is not what Mazda wants to do, and they wont, tried that before.

CX-3 was late after AU yes, MX-5 was before AU (no point in launching a convertible in the middle of winter here ), and there was a launch stop sale on (new ND MX-5) too in the USA because of AC pipe ''o'' ring gas leak in 2015.

Hopefully the new Japan boss @MNAO with a long marketing background will change the consumer mood.
I just don't see MNAO getting value with the ad agencies they are using now.

And Dealers still are very hit and miss, go over to the new ND Miata forum and read the crap new ND owners are put through...it is 1980's stuff.
Wrong brake parts ordered 3 times with one owner, when the part number system is all VIN/Computerized, so how do you order the wrong part numbers.
If I had a Parts or Service adviser who oversaw this they would no longer have a job...3 times.!

Recent JD Power 3 year owner survey has seen Mazda (in US) fall below industry average, I think about 24th from memory, when last 3 year report they were up in the top 5, consistently, and their is no RX-8 to drag results down.

IMO one of the issues that concerns me about Mazda are their engine varieties (or lack of) that they don't offer or are late to the game with.
Why they don't offer a more powerful version (at a higher price) at the start of a new model generation launch, I don't understand, take the old Mazdaspeed 3 and 6, IMO these should be launched @ the start of a new generation model with turbo, not half way through (roughly), they lose the sale/buyer momentum when they see small engined offerings...''if only it had a turbo in it'', or 'a V6', or something with more power, yes I understand the CAFE stuff and fuel economy ratings (Mazda are the best in the US for any car brand right now 2 years in a row)...but...it is not relating to sales and now gas is cheap....er.
Perhaps someone can tell me why Mazda does this (engine varieties, like the CX-5 should of had the 2.5 option from the start of launch, not only 2.0).

I think once you guys come into spring/summer sales should boom, + new CX-9, it's been delayed here because all production is going to US first with follow up ships, they want 2400 a month minimum... I think it is achievable, it is a cracker of a SUV.

gwilliams6

US automotive sales are generally up about 10%, announced on CNBC yesterday. Most of those sales it says were SUV's and trucks. Car companies with multiple SUV's , plus trucks in their line did best such as Ford, Chevy, Chrylser products especially Jeep (where we know the quality isnt the best). But as has been noted before, with US gas prices down, and winter upon us, SUV's and trucks are the choice for American buyers.

I do think the delay in the showrooms for the new CX-9 robbed Mazda of some potential sales in the high end SUV market as winter was upon us, and the CX-5 stop did not help. ASH8 I can't speak for Australia, but it might be that with all the US brands included and so widely advertised and dealership networks long established, that In America buyers have great access to alternate makers' SUV's and Trucks. Mazda sells no trucks anymore in the US even.

The TV airwaves here are saturated with SUV and truck ads, truly saturated. Mazda does run some ads for the CX-5 and CX-3, but the ads aren't very good or dramatic like their compeititors. Just my observations as a journalist and car enthusiast .

Bladecutter

Yeah, Mazda's ads lately have been of the "We have AWD too" variety.

So Ash, you agree that "Hellcatting all the things" is probably the best way to get increased sales in the US market out of the 3 choices I gave?

The new CX-9's EPA results are really good for a vehicle it's size.
I wonder what that engine would get in the Mazda 6 body? 35 highway with a manual?
Heck, could the manual even take that much torque?

I can't help you with your endless disgust of the American Dealership network.
I don't know what the pay scale is for dealership employees in AU, but here in the US, people in the back rooms of dealers are not paid too much more than a bit above minimum wage. When you can't attract good quality workers with good pay, you get incompetent or uncaring morons behind the parts counter.

Sales staff is also attracted to money, and the people who own and run the dealers do everything they can to screw the sales people out of as much commission money as possible. You combine that with Mazda's low sales numbers to begin with, plus the fact that they don't want to lower the price to win a sale, so why would the people who are really good at car sales bother working at a Mazda dealer?

Its all rigged against Mazda.
They need to get out of the lower tier of the market they are currently in.
Stop competing with Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, Chevy and Ford.

They need to go fully upscale, and compete with BMW, Audi, Lexus, Infiniti, Acura (hahaha).
Then they will be able to charge more money for their product, resulting in higher profit levels, but they will have to increase the premium offerings in their vehicles.

You know, allow any combination of transmission in any color of car.
Something they just can't seem to be bothered with here in the US market, with products like the CX-5. Seriously, why can't the US market get blue or red CX-5's with manual transmissions? Why can't the CX-5 get a 2.5 with a manual transmission?

They need a whole lot of work in order to increase sales further in the US market.
I don't think Mazda has the ability to fix everything from their commercials, to their product choices, to their dealership network, and finally to their management teams.

They definitely don't have the desire, that's for sure.

BC.

77mjd

Outside of the god awful US dealership network and marketing dept., I'm not sure what the problem is. I know they are not budging much on price these days, and maybe the consumer just doesn't value the brand like Mazda is trying to. Speaking only for myself, I want high performance, and Mazda just doesn't seem willing to offer any so I guess they don't want my money.

77mjd

IMO, trying to go upscale would be a disaster for Mazda. If people aren't buying them now they sure as hell won't buy them when they are all 10K+ more each. It will be interesting to see how Hyundai's upscale experiment goes. It wouldn't shock me if that turns out to be a total flop for them.

ASH8

BC, precisely why top manager had to go...how many decades do they need to get it right?.
What were the 2.2 times (the average ratio size) of any other Mazda Distributor staff ''actually doing'' before the clean out (cull) a few years back?.... all BS, sending memo's and emails to each other to look busy, and no value.

I agree with what you say, my comparison of retail 'Dealers' and what 'happens' is usually why consumer ratings fail/fall, it is how the after sales part of any dealership (fixed operations) is what determines how successful any car brand is...it is the front line, not Distributor (MNAO), the Dealer does the hard work.

And again the private dealership is responsible for staff and what they pay and how they employ, not the brand.
Yeah, it is the chicken or the egg, but any boss being hard in commissions or salary/wages for any employee is only doing their business a disservice, and no staff loyalty.
And the bad ones should have been 'weeded out' years ago, you just don't get a franchise here if you don't come up to a very high industry standard, there have only been 5 all new Dealerships here in the past 11 years, but sales have more than doubled.
None of it is easy, it is how Managers manage, I have built up 3 separate Dealer operations (fixed) with good staff, **** off the idiots, and the success and happy customers which Keep coming back, is the final result....a retention rate higher than any other car brand in Oz.

How MNAO operates with their Dealers and who they appoint determines brand success, a partnership.... car forums are full of owners (even here) of customers who complain, it is how they are handled at All levels.

The good dealers in US are bloody great, just not enough of them.

ASH8

I hear what you are saying and agree..
One has to start somewhere, if the sales network (Distributor/Dealer/Marketing) is the best it can be, you can be 'arrogant I guess' and not have to discount the brand to sell.
Mazda are including way more options in cars right now, it comes at a cost.
Even Toyota MC complimented Mazda's great range and profitability out of each model.
And I totally agree about the 'performance aspect' of the brand right now, more is coming, I just wished it was scheduled better/earlier.

"Like the GJ Mazda 6, a fantastic beautiful car inside and out now the interior/dash was fixed from that bloody awful TomTom system, but only a 2.5l (yeah the 2.2 diesel has not happened in US), so they must add a the 2.5T (from new CX-9).

We can only hope something fast will happen...

gwilliams6

You guys are all right about the dealerships.

My dealership had always been number one or number two in sales of Mazda in the NE United States since the beginning of Mazda here. But their poor after-the-sale performance had been legendary also , and as a result resales and customer loyalty suffered. Then the management changed their philosophy at their two Mazda dealerships, they beefed up service, gave free extended warranties ,free loaner cars, and free oil changes-for-life to all new customers,put knowledgeable service managers and mechanics in charge in the back room. They made the customer experience great beyond the good sales (and yes they are willing to deal) .The dealerships were spruced up , customers were made to feel welcome and well taken care of. The service areas and bodyshop are kept spotless. As a result, their two Mazda dealerships routinely get some of the highest customer reviews and survey ratings in the entire Mazda North America network. Repeat customers are now one of their biggest assets.

Unfortunately this is the exception and not the norm !

P.S. while I was posting this, I heard two radio ads of Mazda touting that the Mazda 6 is JD Powers top ranked midsize car in customer satisfaction. Good.

One of the greatest frustrations I have had over my 44 years of Mazda ownership, is Mazda's insanity in that it (at least In America) never actively advertises all the awards and top rankings it's cars receive, and/or its racing successes. It never even took ad advantage of it's LeMans win, amazing !!! Every other American seller puts out ads every time their cars or trucks get ANY recognition. Why doesn't Mazda get it ? The dealerships have some reprints and flyers with the Mazda awards , but hearing about this in print, on radio or TV beforehand would help get more buyers INTO Mazda dealerships and not into their competitors' showrooms. This is not rocket science folks !!!

ASH8

This will answer WHY Mazda wont discount like it used to, do you guys in US want it to go broke?
You already have the cheapest cars in the world....lucky bastards.

It is bloody hard managing this @ Mazda Japan, I would like to see Mazda stay as now the the worlds largest independent car maker.

Yen-dollar rate may be the least of Mazda's forex worries- Nikkei Asian Review

And the ******** in @ Wall Street play with the world and hold up the 'mighty' US Dollar to **** the rest of the world, when US Debt to GDP ratio is close to 200%!!!, If the rest if the world (China) wanted their money back you guys and the rest of us would suffer way more than any GFC.

This is far from over, lots of talk about anther GFC happening and soon...nothing much has really changed...too many people, not enough jobs, weak political leaders (worldwide)...it is a mess.