Mazda sales go from strength to strength

MAZDA Australia continues to go from strength to strength; Australia’s number-two selling importer noting outstanding performance across a range of models ahead of the arrival of its CX-60 and CX-90 premium SUV lines over July and August.

According to Mazda Australia managing director, Vinesh Bhindi, the success of the brand locally falls largely to its SUV and LCV range, with several records set across the closing months of the 2022-23 financial year.

Now, as the new financial year begins, Mr Bhindi said it was “prudent” to take stock of Mazda’s position in the Australian market and look forward to how the business will alter as even more new models arrive in local dealerships.

“As we head towards our 100,000-unit sales target for the calendar year, we have already achieved some excellent results across the model range so far,” he said.

“The BT-50 continues to be a sales success for us; not only was June an all-time record-breaking month – with more than 2500 units sold – the month prior was also the best ever May result recorded to date, with sales records in each state.”

Mazda’s BT-50 has sold 2456 units within the PU/CC 4x2 segment to the end of June, placing it third in the segment behind the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, and 7866 units within the PU/CC 4x4 segment, or fourth place behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, and twin-under-the-skin Isuzu D-Max.

On the eve of the launch of its all-new CX-60 in Australia, Mr Bhindi said the Japanese brand was also impressed with the ongoing performance of its current SUV line-up, with several high-riding passenger models achieving record sales numbers.

“In April, the Mazda CX-3 set a new retail record that was 10 per cent greater than the previous milestone and took the lead again in the Light SUV segment,” he explained.

“March saw the MX-30 up its retail tally by 13 per cent above the previous record and continues to have its best ever year-to-date sales in 2023. Prior to that, February was also an excellent month for the CX-5 as it exceeded its previous retail record by an impressive 10 per cent.”

To June 30, the Mazda CX-3 has racked up 3953 sales within the SUV Light segment while the CX-30 nearly double that, selling 6098 units in the next-size-up SUV Small segment. Also in the SUV Small segment, the MX-30 managed 312 unit sales, bettering those of the Suzuki S-Cross and Peugeot 2008.

Moving into the popular SUV Medium category, we find the Mazda CX-5 ranking second in terms of YTD sales with 11,607 units, second only to the top-selling Toyota RAV4. The new CX-60 has already notched up 41 unit sales in the SUV Medium over $60K category, while the CX-8 and CX-9 vie closely within the Large SUV under $70K segment with 2624 and 3382 unit sales respectively.

Like many importers in the Australian market, Mazda passenger vehicles are showing mixed fortunes, particularly in the once-thriving Medium segment.

Year-to-date (June 30), the Mazda2 sold 2750 units Down Under, making it the fourth best-selling model in its class (Light passenger car under $30K). The popular Mazda3 ranks third within its segment (Small passenger car under $40K) with year-to-date sales of 4842 units, while the Mazda6 ranks second in its segment (Medium passenger car under $60K) with 891 year-to-date sales.

But Mr Bhinidi says the Japanese importer will continue to flourish in the second half of the year, irrespective of passenger vehicle sales. Strong LCV and SUV sales are predicted, with steady supplies of key models available, even as other importers continue to struggle on the back of COVID-19 related delays.

“In terms of vehicle stock, we continue to have plentiful inventory of BT-50, CX-9 and CX-8, and CX-5 in particular. All are on the ground and ready for immediate delivery across our dealer network,” he said.

“As a preferred market for Mazda globally, we came into 2023 in a reasonable stock position which has allowed us to fulfill customer orders faster than market expectations – and we are fortunate to be one of the premium automotive brands with ample production allocated across almost the entire model range.

“We will also be replenishing our stock with more scheduled arrivals in the coming weeks, barring any local port congestion delays.”

Mazda will also see the arrival of its larger CX-90 premium SUV in August and the updated Mazda2 in September, with the all-new CX-80 premium SUV also set to join the portfolio in the new year.

Mazda currently ranks second on the 2023 Australian sales ladder with 9706 unit sales or a 7.8 per cent share of the overall market. Toyota remains Australia’s number-one selling brand with 20,948 unit sales to the end of June, and a 16.8 per cent slice of the action.

Visit GoAuto again soon for our Australian launch review of the all-new Mazda CX-60.