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Mazda expects six new models to spur 30% growth this year

PT Mazda Motor Indonesia, a subsidiary of Japan’s Mazda Motor Corporation, plans to sell 16,000 cars in 2013, a 30 percent rise from last year

Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, January 18, 2013

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Mazda expects six new models to spur 30% growth this year

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T Mazda Motor Indonesia, a subsidiary of Japan’s Mazda Motor Corporation, plans to sell 16,000 cars in 2013, a 30 percent rise from last year. To help reach this target, Mazda will expand its product portfolio by introducing six new models and opening more showrooms.

Mazda will launch three of the planned new models in the first half of this year. They consist of the New Mazda MX-5, the New Mazda CX-9 and the All New Mazda6.

The New MX-5 is the company’s latest version of its popular two-seater roadster, the MX-5, also known as the Miata in North America. The company catered to a niche market with the MX-5, according to Mazda president director Keizo Okue.

“This is a sports car and the sports car segment has very particular customers. We hope to be able to reach more clients in this segment by offering a new version of the MX-5,” he said in Jakarta on Thursday.

The MX-5 was introduced for the first time in Indonesia during the 2011 Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS). Last year, the company sold a total of 84 MX-5s in Indonesia.

The company is also gearing up to sell the New CX-9, the revamped version of the CX-9, Mazda’s premium sport utility vehicle (SUV), which was launched in Indonesia in 2008. Okue said that although the CX-9 did not hold substantial market share at the moment, the product was important as it represented Mazda’s brand in the SUV segment. CX-9 sales reached 165 units in 2012.

Both the MX-5 and CX-9 will be launched in late January, while the All New Mazda6 will be launched early in the second quarter. The All New Mazda6, the latest version of the company’s medium-sized sedan, the Mazda6, would be at the forefront of all the new models with its SkyActiv technology, Okue said.

Previously, the technology was only found in Mazda’s CX-5, its compact crossover SUV. Mazda claims that SkyActiv results in lower fuel consumption and emissions. The company did not provide details on the remaining new models.

“We are optimistic we will reach this year’s target even though it’s ambitious. Indonesia’s economy keeps growing and so does domestic purchasing power. An increasing number of people can afford to buy a car,” Okue said.

According to Mazda marketing manager Astrid Ariani Wijana, the company hopes to increase its market share to 1.3 percent by year-end from 1.1 percent in 2012. The Mazda2 hatchback is expected to remain the major contributor to this year’s sales target with 30 percent; followed by the CX-5 with 25 percent; the eight-seater Mazda Biante with 20 percent; the BT-50 pickup series with 15 percent; and the remaining models contributing 10 percent.

The company announced that its 2012 sales had exceeded its initial target. Total sales reached 12,150, 1.25 percent higher than predicted and up 34.2 percent from 2011.

Mazda attributed the rise in sales due to the IIMS and the launch of the CX-5 and Mazda Biante. During last year’s IIMS, sales amounted to 2,156, almost double its achievement in 2011.

Meanwhile, the newly launched CX-5 and Mazda Biante made up 19.9 percent and 10.6 percent of total sales, respectively. The top contributor last year was the Mazda2 with 42.6 percent.

This year, Mazda also plans to increase the number of its showrooms to 44 from the current 35. Some would be located in new areas, while others would be established in existing locations, Astrid said.

Another improvement, according to Astrid, was an extension to Mazda’s contact center’s operating days. The center is now in full operation for six days a week, from Monday to Saturday. Last year, it was open only from Monday to Friday.

She added that the company still had no plan to establish its own factory in Indonesia although its market in the country continued to grow. Indonesia is Mazda’s second-largest market in Southeast Asia after Thailand, from where the cars are currently imported.

“Improving our market share is our top priority. We may have our own factory here in the future, but it will not happen anytime soon,” she said.

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