After a Serious House Cleaning Success Resulted from Stylish, Performance-Oriented Products
It's hard to believe that one of today's hottest carmakers was in critical condition only five short years ago. That automaker is Mazda, and since the turn of the millennium it's been on a verifiable hot streak.
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| From critical condition to one of today's hottest brands, Mazda has turned itself around in five short years. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
While the brand has long enjoyed strong ownership loyalty, with distinctive products such as the segment leading MX-5 Miata and unorthodox rotary-powered RX-7 and new RX-8, its bread and butter lineup has only just started to come into form.
The Miata transitioned slightly from the original to a more refined, exposed headlamp model in 1999, still the leading seller among all roadsters but nevertheless a niche player.
A more important product in Canada, at least when it comes to profits is the MPV minivan, which was also revised in 1999.
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| While Mazda's distinctive niche products, like the MX-5 Miata and RX-8, enjoy strong ownership loyalty, its bread and butter lineup has only just started to come into form. (Photo: Mazda Canada |
"Here vans are over 30 percent of our market while in the states it's about 15," commented Gregory Young, Director, Corporate Public Relations, Mazda Canada, adding, "The MPV broke some ground in interior styling and functionality, with the third row seat that tumbles under."
Growth in the compact segment started with the 1997 Protegé, but the car didn't become a certified competitor until the stylish 2001 model year upgrade hit the scene in 2000.
"That's when the C car line moved up from about 10th to 6th or 7th in Canada," said Young.