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Challenge from China: How Mazda plans to deal with shifting market dynamics
Once a big favourite, the marque is now fighting to stand out in an overcrowded market and amid customers’ preference for smaller, cheaper cars
17 April 2025 - 05:00
In November 2023 Mazda Southern Africa was targeting a medium-term annual sales market of 5,000 for its cars in South Africa. Seventeen months on, MD Craig Roberts thinks the Japanese brand may have to lower its immediate sights.
Having reduced dealership numbers from 53 to 33, he suggests a more realistic target is 3,300 sales — an average of 100 per dealer. It’s a doable number: according to motor industry association Naamsa, 3,027 Mazdas were sold here in 2024 and 750 in the first three months of this year...
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