First-buyer lift for Mazda

Sales of the Mazda2 Sports reached 1,206 units, up 88 per cent, while sales of the Elegance reached 1,500 units, up 52 per cent. 

The performance drove up Mazda’s total sales for September to 3,984 units, representing growth of 36 per cent. The auto-maker is now planning to excite the pickup market by introducing a new BT-50 pickup near the end of this year.

Mazda Sales (Thailand)’s managing director Choichi Yuki said the first-car buyer scheme had helped to boost the B-car and pickup markets. 

“During the last quarter of this year, the competition will intensify because it will be the high season for auto sales, especially for subcompacts and pickups. Many companies are planning to launch new models to the market, and Mazda is also prepared. For the pickup market, we are planning to introduce exciting strategies to stimulate the market in the near future. We are also asking people to wait and watch closely for our all-new BT-50 pickup that will enter showrooms at the end of the year,” he said.

During the first three quarters of 2011, Mazda has been highly successful, breaking forecasts with historic growth figures. The company sold a total of 31,847 vehicles in the first nine months, up 24 per cent compared to the first nine months of last year, when it sold 25,763 vehicles.

Sales in the first nine months included 19,943 units of the Mazda2, up 17 per cent, and 7,534 units of the BT-50 pickup, up 73 per cent. The all-new Mazda3 2.0L also contributed to third-quarter sales with 4,338 Maxda3 units sold . Sales of premium models such as the MX-5 roadster and CX-9 luxury SUV totalled 32 units in the first three quarters.

Mazda Sales (Thailand)’s marketing director Sureetip La-Ongthong Chomthongdee said that after a long period of waiting, clarity on the government’s first-car buyer scheme paid off. A large number of customers who have been waiting for many months have finally made their purchases. 

Sales of the improved Mazda2, with its high option level, are still going strong. The BT-50 also performed strongly in September with 897 units sold for an increase of 20 per cent, and the all-new Mazda3 is also performing well with sales of 367 units last month.

Sureetip said auto sales were expected to keep on rising until the end of the year, partly due to the growth of the auto industry, but also because of the first-car buyer scheme. 

“Mazda’s sales have increased by as much as 20 per cent because of the first-car buyer scheme, and we think that sales in October – the scheme’s first full month – will rise by 20 to 25 per cent,” she said, adding that Mazda’s strategy of delivering vehicles immediately would return to full capacity in the fourth quarter. 

“Customers who are first-time buyers and purchase the Mazda2 will receive a full Bt100,000 rebate from the Excise Department, while BT-50 buyers will receive a Bt70,000 rebate. Mazda is topping that up with a special 5-per-cent down payment promotion plus low 1.99-per-cent interest and free first-class insurance. Those who trade in an old Mazda for the BT-50 will also get Bt20,000 cashback, or Bt15,000 for other brands,” she said.