Mazda confident new ‘3’ can beat Corolla

MAZDA Australia expects its new-generation 3 sedan and hatch will sell in even greater numbers than its BL-series predecessor, which was twice the nation's top-selling car in a calendar year.

This means the car has a strong chance of returning to the top of the overall sales charts in 2014, according to Mazda Australia managing director Martin Benders, returning it the mantle it lost in 2013 to the Toyota Corolla.

“I think it can be the top-seller. I think it's a better car than Corolla and a different class of car,” he told GoAuto this week.

The company is projecting around 3800 sales per month of its newest model which will roll off showroom floors in February, up from an average of about 3500 per month achieved in 2013, and even the 3670 achieved in 2012, when it was the market’s top seller.

Mazda projects an even 50 per cent sales split between hatch and sedan bodystyles, and 75 per cent of sales to be automatics.

The expected sales split over the life of the vehicle is expected to be as follows: Neo (55 per cent), Maxx (10 per cent), Touring (7 per cent), SP25 (15 per cent), SP25 GT (10 per cent), SP25 Astina (3 per cent).

Mr Benders projects this sales jump will belie a softening market in 2014 overall relative to 2013, a continuation of the weak second-half of 2013.

Should the company achieve its monthly targets over the next 11 months, in addition to shifting all remaining run out stock of the BL in January, it stands to sell around 45,000 units - 1500 more than the Corolla managed last year.

However, Toyota is not sitting idle, but instead plans to launch its new-generation sedan variant in February. The company has been selling the previous-generation sedan alongside the new hatch for some time.