Mazda is not a brand that sits on the pantheon of automotive luxury worshipped by the masses, and rightly so. But step back for one moment and ask yourself what defines a luxury product? Unlike fashion apparel, it’s very difficult to properly define what constitutes a luxury car due to the complexity of putting together tens of thousands of components to build a car. Does a Volkswagen model suddenly become a luxury car when it wears the four-ring logo (Audi Q2 and its twin the VW T-Roc)? What ab

Under Bermaz Motor, Malaysia is the only Mazda distributor / national sales centre in Southeast Asia to close the Hiroshima-based automaker’s financial year ending March 2024 (FY2024) on a positive note. Although Mazda closed its FY2024 account books with its highest ever operating profit, surging 76 percent to reach 250.5 billion Yen (~RM 7.63 billion), most of the success was attributed to the USA, Europe, and China. Southeast Asia is a headache for Mazda. Casual readers of business news would

Mazda ended its financial year ending March 2024 (April 2023 to March 2024, FY2024) with an 11.8 percent increase in global sales, totaling 1,204,668 units. The growth is attributed to strong demand for Mazda cars in USA (up 24.6%), China (up 14.7%), Europe (up 12.5%). Sales in its domestic market Japan, however, dropped 2.8%. The Mazda CX-5 is the company’s best seller, contributing nearly a third of Mazda’s global sales. Sales of the CX-5 in FY2024 totaled 350,339 units (up 1.5%), followed by

In Malaysia, the gap between the Mazda CX-3 and Mazda CX-5 is filled by the Mazda CX-30. Why isn’t there a Mazda CX-4? There exists a Mazda CX-4, but it’s a China-only model. The Mazda CX-4 was first introduced in 2016 but it was discontinued late last year. The Mazda CX-30 is also sold in China but it’s uncompetitive the salvo of Chinese battery EV (BEV) models coming onto the market. This Mazda Arata concept is developed in partnership with Mazda’s local partner Changan, and if its sloping roo

For some time now, there's been talk of Mazda embracing a more upscale direction, termed as "Mazda Premium." However, Mazda is careful not to align itself directly with the heavyweight players in the premium segment such as BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. Vinesh Bhindi, Mazda Australia’s managing director, clarified the company's stance to the Australian publication Wheels, highlighting their commitment to remain within the mainstream market. He said that while Mazda aims to elevate its offerings in te

Japan's New Year was unfortunately rocked by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, which resulted in loss of life, personal artefacts, and means of transportation. Disruptions in transport is an issue that weighs heavy for the residents of Noto Peninsula, given that more than half of them in the hardest-hit parts of the prefecture are over the age of 65. Masaaki Ishida, 88, is one of them. It's comes to little surprise then that he's grown attached to his Mazda CX-5, who he regards as "family and compa