The future Mazda 5 minivan is said to be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show next year alongside a new crossover-style SUV derived from the Mazda 3 platform.
Located on the spot at the 2009 IAA in Frankfurt, Jeffrey Guyton revealed Mazda plans to address a global market as part of its strategy in dealing with the economic recession. “Any new model we develop has to be global to achieve the necessary volumes,” he said.
The European’s division CEO explained Mazda looks to focus on developing new powerplants, both diesel and petrol, to be introduce from 2011 forward. The Japanese car maker expects these engines to be 20% more efficient than present day counterparts.
“New vehicle platforms and lightweight engineering will further improve that by 2015 when our target is a 30% improvement in economy for all our cars," said Guyton.
For the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show Mazda has also prepared the introduction of a new diesel version for the CX-7 SUV. This way Mazda can compete from a different level on both the European and US markets.
“It's like having a new market since it gives us an opportunity to increase our fleet business," he said.
Another major focal point in Mazda future marketing strategy is represented by the fleet business, a commercial sphere that can boost a car maker’s sales with minimal effort. “Increasing fleet business is one way Mazda will begin its recovery. The UK is a success for fleet business but it's not the same elsewhere in Europe in markets like Germany, Spain and Belgium."
Jeffrey Guyton ended with a prediction for the 2010 European car market: “I don't see any dramatic recovery. Western European markets will remain flat and eastern European markets will be very low or at the best down.”
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