Mazda president Lewis Booth said the manufacturer’s profits would grow in the next few years due to a host of new cars, including the new RX-8 coupé, which he calls “the most exciting car in the world”.
Mazda president Lewis Booth believes the manufacturer’s profits will grow in the next few years due to a host of new cars, including the RX-8 coupé, which he has calls “the most exciting car in the world”.
Booth told that he expected profits for the business year to end-March to come in around the levels forecast in November. The Japanese company projected a net profit of R1,8 billion and operating profit of R34,1 million for the year to March 31. This would be a double-digit growth from the previous year.
After no new models for 18 months, Mazda brought out the Mazda6, which won countless awards around the world, and the RX-8. The RX-8 received rave reviews. It has a much-hyped next-generation rotary engine, which Mazda says symbolises its revival after a decade of lost growth.
reported that in the United States, Mazda increased its advertising budget for the launch of the Mazda 6, RX-8 and a third model which the American operations chief executive Charlie Hughes would not give details about.
Hughes said the company needed performance and stylish vehicles. “We looked at Toyota and Honda too much in the ’80s and ’90s,” Hughes said. “When you’re not one of the major players, you have to offer something they don’t.”
Hughes said Mazda was targeting motoring enthusiasts. “They’re not all car nuts. Some like the technology,” Hughes said. “Not only does the target account for some four million-plus units annually; those buyers are willing to spend more on their cars.”
