Mazda Boss Says No New RX Models Coming
Mazda’s future product plans don’t include reviving its RX sports car nameplate.
Currently the company needs to focus on improving its crop of SkyActiv products, of which some are already halfway through their first generation life cycle. Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai told Automotive News that it would be difficult for the company to expand its lineup further and its limited resources will go toward improving current SkyActiv products.
Kogai began his position as CEO as the company posted its first annual profit in five years.
Currently Mazda is one of the world’s few remaining independent automakers that isn’t part of a larger consolidated automotive group. Mazda sales in the U.S. are up by 8.1 percent through October and the company’s biggest upcoming objective is to maintain its success here rather than worrying about saddling new development costs.
Mazda’s SkyActiv platform underpins all of its new and recently introduced models except for the upcoming MX-5 sports car. In that case Mazda offset its development costs by working with Alfa Romeo in a project that will yield sports cars for both brands that will share their platform.
Next week the company will officially reveal its new CX-3 sub-compact crossover, a model that it will market without going through the typical concept phase that companies typically use to gauge early interest and gather consumer feedback. In North America, it is also about to launch the new Mazda2 already on sale in Japan.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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