But Japanese brand’s overall sales to remain at 100,000 and could be overtaken by Kia
Mazda is planning a ute sales surge as it looks to regain market share in the wake of the brand’s supply-constrained 5.3 per cent sales slump in 2022.
Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi says the company wants to boost sales of the Mazda BT-50 ute by at least 10 per cent on the way to a 2023 sales tally of 100,000 vehicles.
But Mazda has no desire to return to its lofty 110,000-plus annual sales results, instead settling into its planned future as a premium mainstream brand at around 100,000 sales annually.
“Our opportunity to grow in the ute market absolutely exists and that’s where we’ll put as much effort as we can, assuming no [supply] disruptions,” says Bhindi.
“If this year we get appropriate supply on all the body styles we have on offer we see good opportunity. We have done about 12 to 13,000 [utes] a year. If we grow towards 15,000, maybe a little bit higher, that’s the steps we’ll be taking.”
That would leave Mazda with less than half the sales of ute behemoths such as the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger – and well below the Isuzu D-MAX that is a mechanical twin of the BT-50.
But crucially, it could make up some ground being lost by the likes of the Mazda3 and Mazda6, each of which has succumbed to a seismic shift in consumer tastes.
In many cases Mazda are SUVs filling the void. In 2022 more than two-thirds of the 95,718 Mazdas sold here were SUVs, the highest proportion for the company – and one that’s set to grow.
Mazda CX-90
“We think consumer demand and appeal for SUVs is continuing to grow,” says Bhindi, who is preparing to launch the CX-60 and CX-90 during 2023.
Mazda’s new CX-90 flagship will initially sell alongside the CX-9, although it appears unlikely there will a replacement for the latter once the current car is discontinued around 2024.
Given its premium positioning – CX-90 pricing is expected to kick off at about $70,000 and some variants are likely to breach the $101,515 price of the RX-7 SP, which is the most expensive Mazda ever sold here – Mazda acknowledges it will not sell as many CX-90s as CX-9s.
However, Bhindi is content with Mazda achieving a 9-10 per cent market share, which would mean annual sales of about 100,000 vehicles – well below the 118,217 record for the brand in 2016.
“We’re looking at about 100,000 [sales in 2023] or thereabouts,” says Bhindi.
As for Mazda retaining its position as the second best-selling brand, Bhindi says that’s not the target – which is fortunate given the growth of Kia, which became Australia’s third most popular auto brand in 2022 and expects to increase annual sales to 100,000 with the arrival of its first ute in 2025.
“Our business plan is to capture about 100,000 sales. If that means it’s number two [in the market] then fantastic, but that’s not why we wake up each day.”
But Bhindi says the brand can and will grow if opportunities arise – including an increase in the overall market beyond its circa-1.1-million annual sales tally of recent years.
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Keyword: Mazda BT-50 sales to surge