Mazda reworking its brand image, will move it more upscale

Mazda’s brand image is being reworked to still have Mazda's fun-to-drive image but be more upscale. This summer, Mazda has been busy switching ad agencies and revamping its US marketing staff. Don Romano, who became marketing boss at Mazda North American Operations last March, said that the brand doesn’t have the strength to support the rollout of Mazda's Sky direct-injection engines next year or its future design language.

Last August, the new styling was featured in the Shinari Concept introduced in Milan, Italy. Romano said that the Shinari, the low-slung, four-door concept car, gives a glimpse of what Mazda is “thinking as a brand.” Romano also said that this car is designed to embody kodo, which
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Blindcorner - 10/13/2010 2:32:25 PM

+5 Boost

I think Mazda is on the right track. Of all the Japanese companies I believe they have the best sport and elegance styling around which competes with the newfound popularity that Hyundai and Kia have with their visually pleasing models. Now if only they can find a permanent fix for that apex seal problem.

uaw_lax - 10/14/2010 9:18:16 AM

+3 Boost

i agree with you but i would also add Nissan with Mazda. Seams like Toyota and Honda sale on their name along with underpowered motors and bland styling.

dumpsty - 10/14/2010 11:47:33 AM

+3 Boost

Agreed.

Toyota & Honda continue to sell based on their past perceived quality and overall performance. They sell "underpowered" engines to stay ahead of the fuel consumption game(s). Now that many long-time Toyota/Honda supporters have realized that Fords, GMs, Hyundais, etc are equally matched to quality, performance, fuel consumption; they are starting to look elsewhere for their transportation appliance.

I hate to sound stereotypical, but when I started to see more Asian drivers in Buicks and Fords, I knew there was a real shift in past conventional thinking in regards to automaker perceptions.

dlin - 10/13/2010 3:27:16 PM

+2 Boost

Mazda is always a bit generic, but really smooth and good looking. Miata and RX8 are great cars, and the only thing needed is an FI engine. Sorry, rotary just doesn't really work.

veyron1001 - 10/13/2010 10:55:26 PM

+4 Boost

Uh yes it does. Size, weight, power/litre, such little amount of moving parts are the advantage of it.

dlin - 10/15/2010 3:27:57 PM

+1 Boost

And how about torque and oil consumption? If it's that great we'll see rotary on every Mazda already.... yet it's not even in Miata right?

Steve - 10/13/2010 4:07:27 PM

-1 Boost

Perhaps Mazda should stay where it is, and create a new upscale brand, like Toyota->Lexus, Honda->Acura, Nissan->Infiniti. It's a much better approach than, say, Volkswagen and their phailing Phaeton, and example of a great upscale car lost in an economy brand and styling cues.

BTW, stay AWAY from the artist's deception at the top of this page! I hope that eye-sore never gets into production.

MorePower - 10/14/2010 4:36:23 AM

+3 Boost

Mazda considered creating a separate luxury brand in the early 90's. They even had dealers picked and a model to introduce with a new engine.

The luxury brand was deemed too expensive to create for the estimated returns, so it was killed. The engine was the Miller 5 cycle that was placed into the Mazda Millenia. It too was later canceled.

LACMAN - 10/13/2010 7:06:28 PM

+1 Boost

So I guess this means we will see the return of a 929, aka Millenia, in the form of Mazda9...

cohwang - 10/14/2010 12:10:56 AM

+1 Boost

929 is not Millenia. 929 featured 4WS, and Millenia was only FWD. Mazda 929 was called Serenia in Japan while Millenia was called Efini MS-9 or Eunos 9 in some asian countries. Efini or Eunos were the upscale brand of Mazda in the 1990s. However their quality couldn't catch up with Lexus and Infinti, and the lack of models made this brand disappear.

MorePower - 10/14/2010 4:37:15 AM

+2 Boost

I do like the stance and the front end of this car. Truly aggressive.

Caraficionado - 10/14/2010 11:01:01 AM

+1 Boost

Their luxury line almost became a reality in 1992. I think they even had a name for it: Amati

Agent63 - 10/14/2010 7:13:17 PM

+1 Boost

The Mazda CX9 is very comfortable and shows a hint of luxury if you get the nicest trim. Of course it is all purely cosmetic.

A Toyota Prado is just as luxurious as a Lexus GX in my opinion and it's basically the same car. I think if Mazda can make a car that is built like a Genesis sedan and the Equus then everything should be fine. Build off of a more prestige image and then build a coupe that can compete with Infiniti.