April 2008 Sales: Mazda North America

[VenSeattle]

Mazda Reports Best April Since 1995 With 12.8 Percent Sales Increase
IRVINE, Calif., May 1 /PRNewswire/
Link to Press Release

IRVINE, Calif., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations
(MNAO) today reported a double-digit increase in sales for April with
23,760 units sold in the U.S., a 12.8 percent increase over last year.
Year-to-date sales are up 1.3 percent with 101,391 vehicles sold.

MAZDA3, fresh off being named one of the "2008 Coolest New Cars Under
$18,000" by Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com, reported sales of 9,234 units, up
14.8 percent.

Redesigned for 2008, the MAZDA5 multi-activity vehicle reported its
best-ever April with 2,011 units sold, accounting for a 65.7 percent
increase, while MAZDA6 reported a 15.9 percent increase with sales of 4,856
units.

Mazda's crossover SUV lineup continues its strong sales momentum. The
winner of the 2008 North American Truck of the Year and 2008 Motor Trend
Sport/Utility of the Year, CX-9, reported sales of 2,216 units, up 24.8
percent versus last year. CX-7 recorded 2,334 units sold while Tribute sold
1,192 units in April, up 58.1 percent. Combined, the Mazda crossover SUV
lineup reported year-to-dates sales of 25,703 units, up nearly 25 percent
versus last year.

"Having the right vehicles at the right price, at the right time, is
driving our sales success this month and this year," said Jim O'Sullivan,
President and CEO, MNAO. "We anticipated the possibility of rising gas
prices with a very strong lineup of fuel efficient vehicles which appeal to
consumers' dramatically changing lifestyles."

Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) celebrated its best-ever April with sales
of 1,627 vehicles, up 41 percent versus last year. On a year-to-date basis,
MMdM reported 6,656 total sales, accounting for a 40 percent increase.

Mazda Canada, Inc. reported sales of 9,115 units, down 11.9 percent,
while its year-to-date sales are up 2.2 percent with 28,712 vehicles sold.

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations
oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda
vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico through
nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc.,
located in Ontario; in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City; and
in Puerto Rico by Mazda de Puerto Rico in San Juan.

Mazda North American Operations - April
                                     2008

                               Month-To-Date              Year-To-Date

                           April   April         %    April    April         %
                           2008    2007     Change    2008     2007     Change

    Mazda3                9,234   8,046     14.8%   36,310   39,973    (9.2)%
    Mazda5                2,011   1,214     65.7%    8,490    5,762     47.3%
    Mazda6                4,856   4,189     15.9%   24,450   24,362      0.4%
    MX-5 Miata            1,441   1,663   (13.3)%    4,685    6,036   (22.4)%
    RX-8                    327     474   (31.0)%    1,238    2,205   (43.9)%
    Protege                 -       -         N/A      -        -         N/A
    CX-7                  2,334   2,740   (14.8)%   11,461   12,680    (9.6)%
    CX-9                  2,216   1,776     24.8%    8,939    5,470     63.4%
    Tribute               1,192     754     58.1%    5,303    2,457    115.8%
    B-Series Truck          149     203   (26.6)%      515    1,070   (51.9)%
    MPV                     -         1  (100.0)%      -        121  (100.0)%

    Total Vehicles

    CARS                 17,869  15,586     14.6%   75,173   78,338    (4.0)%
    TRUCKS                5,891   5,474      7.6%   26,218   21,798     20.3%

    TOTAL                23,760  21,060     12.8%  101,391  100,136      1.3%



    MEMO:

    IMPORT CAR           13,013  11,397     14.2%   50,723   53,976    (6.0)%
    IMPORT TRUCK          4,550   4,517      0.7%   20,400   18,271     11.7%
    IMPORT TOTAL         17,563  15,914     10.4%   71,123   72,247    (1.6)%

    DOMESTIC CAR          4,856   4,189     15.9%   24,450   24,362      0.4%
    DOMESTIC TRUCK        1,341     957     40.1%    5,818    3,527     65.0%
    DOMESTIC TOTALS       6,197   5,146     20.4%   30,268   27,889      8.5%

    Note:  MPV & Protege are discontinued vehicles.

[Intrepidation]

I'm confused...how is the CX-7 up 14.8%?

[Northstar]

I'm confused...how is the CX-7 up 14.8%?

It's not. It's down 14.8%. If it's in parentheses that means it's down, not up.

[A Horse With No Name]

Year to date the 3 is still down a little bit. It looses a little bit in price to the Cobalt and the Focus, so this is about what I would expect in a tight economy.

Chris

[pow]

I was thinking... the redesigned Mazda5 looks somewhat like a Euro Ford, particularly the headlights and gaping lower grille, and that it might do better in the US as a Focus xBBox, or something. The Ford dealer base is much greater than Mazda's, the Ford brand attracts far more people, boxy "sport compact" crossovers are in, and the market wants a fuel efficient 6-7 passenger vehicle.

The Mazda 5 is the right car for the right moment but saddled with the wrong badge and no media attention. Imagine it with a new bumper and grille...

Soften up the suspension a bit, offer the second row middle seat found in Japan and Europe, and I think there will be many takers for <$20K.

[A Horse With No Name]

That would make a very nice car for Ford.

Chris

[cire]

I'm not particularly fond of the idea of rebadging any Mazda products for Ford. It's bad enough that Mazda has the Tribute (although it is experiencing an upswing in sales, I still hate the fact that it is included in Mazda's portfolio; I would rather see a more brand appropriate CX-5 crossover in the lineup) and B-Series Ford clone products in their lineup. I don't want to see Mazda or Volvo sucked into the badge engineered black hole that has cheapened Lincoln's image and rendered Mercury totally irrelevant in today's auto market. It seems like Mazda still isn't supporting this vehicle with enough marketing. I see a lot of ads for the Mazda3 (which I understand since smaller cars are becoming increasingly more popular in a fuel conscious market) and the CX-7 (which is perplexing since it is down in sales and requires premium fuel in a repressed economy). I see little advertising for the Mazda5, though. You would think that Mazda would jump on the opportunity to increase sales on a product that is experiencing an upswing in sales and also take advantage of the fact that they currently have this segment (miniMPV) almost completely to themselves (except for the Kia Rondo).

Doesn't Ford build a similar vehicle on the same platform in Europe called the C-MAX? It seems to me they could import this to the U.S. to have a miniMPV type vehicle in their lineup. The one disadvantage of this would be that the C-MAX only has two rolls of seats, however (if I correctly recall).

[regfootball]

mazda 5 is underpowered and doesn't get good real world mpg anyways.

c-max is alright but has that ugly euro nerd wagon look that US folks wouldn't care for anyways. think kia rondo.

[A Horse With No Name]

Personally, I'd rather have a 3 wagon than a Mazda 5...

Chris

[cire]

Personally, I'd rather have a 3 wagon than a Mazda 5...

Chris

I totally agree. The Mazda3 5-door is definitely cooler than the Mazda5. I am sure there are people that need the extra utility that the Mazda5 provides though.

[regfootball]

mazda 5 has the third row seats which come into play for many. looks wise, the mazda 5 is stylish and its utility is unquestioned. if there is one vehicle that would benefit from that turbo 4, its the mazda 5.

[A Horse With No Name]

...or perhaps a small euro style diesel...

Chris