Australia Remains Faithful to Mazda’s Less Popular Vehicles

It seems that Mazda Australia has recently removed some models from its 3 and CX-3 lineups due to slow sales. However, it appears that the Mazda 2 range will not be affected by these cuts.

According to reports, Mazda Australia has committed to keeping the updated Mazda 2 available with a manual transmission and a sedan body style, which is the only three-box model in the light car segment in the country.

“For as long as I can, I’ll continue to make sure the manual model lives on in this car.” 

-Mazda Australia product planning specialist Timothy Leong

In addition to the Mazda 2, Mazda Australia has also confirmed that it will continue to offer a manual transmission option for the MX-5, which has had a more even split between manual and automatic sales. The company has stated that it will “absolutely” continue to provide this option for manual buyers.

It is worth noting that the manual transmission option for the Mazda 2 is only available in the base Pure hatchback model of the range. Even though the hatchback model is expected to make up around 90% of the sales for the updated Mazda 2 range, it is estimated that the Pure manual variant will only account for 13% of the total Mazda 2 sales.

It is anticipated that the sedan model will be even less popular, with an estimated 10% of overall sales, out of which two-thirds are expected to be the top-spec GT variant. Mazda has decided to retain the lineup of the pre-update Mazda 2 model. In contrast, the Mazda 3 and CX-3 models have lost their manual and mild-hybrid variants and manual and all-wheel drive variants, respectively, as part of updates earlier this year.

When asked if this was part of a larger strategy to streamline all of Mazda’s lineups, Mr. Doak clarified that it was not the case and explained that the decision was based on the lack of demand.

“There’s no underlying strategy… if the market is there, and the demand is there, or if we’re hearing from our customer base, from our dealers or from prospects, that we’re not offering something, then if there’s a very good business case for it, we’ll bring it in.”

-Mazda Australia national marketing director Alastair Doak

Despite the decline of the light car segment in Australia, Mazda considers the Mazda 2 to be a crucial part of its lineup, as it often serves as a customer’s introduction to the Mazda brand. It is also a popular option for existing Mazda owners who are looking for a downsized car, or for those who are looking for a “last car.” However, even though two of the segment’s top sellers, the Suzuki Baleno and Kia Rio, have been discontinued, Mazda is not expecting a significant increase in its share of the segment.

“We’re on track to do another, around 5000 mark again. So again, decent business. And we know it’s an important entry point into our lineup. There are fewer and fewer cars in that segment. We haven’t gone into this with a plan to significantly change the position of the car within the segment. We’re comfortable with the performance it has had, and around that 5000 level, but of course when we specced this update, we’re obviously looking to try and maximise the opportunity and maximise the appeal to the light car buyer. So if by default, that means we’ll sell more and… if other brands withdraw from this segment, then maybe that will give us an opportunity, but it’s not something that we’re actively chasing and thinking about. We’ve got our own plan and we’re comfortable with what we think we can achieve with the car.” 

-Doak

Photo Source: Mazda Australia