2017 a banner year for Mazda Philippines

Steven Tan

The year 2017 proved to be the best year yet for Bermaz Auto Philippines, the sole authorized and exclusive importer of Mazda vehicles in the country, with an amazing 5,244 units sold, a record increase of 28 percent, far surpassing the industry standard’s growth of between 5 percent to 10 percent.

Steven Tan, president and CEO of Bermaz Auto Philippines, attributes this huge surge in sales to the following factors: great product lineup, improved employee satisfaction, and a market buoyed by Mazda’s excellent after-sales service stemming from its unique Yojin 3 campaign.

The brand’s best-selling vehicle to date is the Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback combined, which accounted for 1,564 units sold in 2017, followed by the Mazda 2 hatchback and sedan, which performed with 1,485 units sold.

The Philippines is truly a SUV/crossover market, which shows in the CX-5’s strong showing, with 908 units sold in 2017. This, despite the CX-5 undergoing a full-model change in 2017, followed by serious supply problems with the initial CBU units coming from Japan.

With the Philippine market switching its supply base to the Kulim plant near Penang in the northern region of Malaysia for 2018, Bermaz Auto Philippines hopes to secure the supply of the famous CX-5, battle currency fluctuations, and enjoy some tax benefits from the Asean Free Trade Agreement.

The rest of Mazda’s vehicle sales in 2017 may be seen from the table on this page.

The CX-9’s sales surged, thanks to a full model change in 2017, which was a very technologically huge leap in efficiency, design and functionality—and thus, the huge increase in sales.

The only negative figure was Mazda’s BT-50 pickup, which suffered a catastrophic drop of 54 percent in sales due to supply problems.

The current Mazda BT-50 shares its basic architecture, electronics and powertrain with the Ford Ranger, but the next generation BT-50 to be released in a few years will have a different stable mate.

Interestingly, even the MX-5 roadster enjoyed huge success in 2017.

Some pundits might point out that the increase in sales this 2017 might have been driven up by fears of the impending excise tax increase due to the TRAIN Law implemented Jan. 1, 2018.

To this, Mikko David, Press and Customer Relations manager of Bermaz Auto PH, says the strong demand for Mazda vehicles last year was not only due to pricing adjustments that the TRAIN Law was feared to bring.

The mere fact that more people chose the Mazda brand last 2017 versus other auto manufacturers’ offerings shows that there is growing trust in the brand’s promise to deliver premium quality and technologically advanced, high performance vehicles.

Mazda not only produces cars that are excellent to drive, but are also among the most fuel-efficient in the market today.

These are the key factors that lead people to choose the Mazda lineup of cars, cross-overs and trucks.

Mazda’s lineup of vehicles in the Philippines

Indeed, in 2017, the Mazda brand was recognized as the most fuel-efficient automotive company in the United States of America for the fifth straight year, according to the government’s Environmental Protection Agency.

This goes to show that Mazda’s SkyActiv technology, while seemingly simple and not as ground-breaking as its competitors, have real-world merits, providing benefits the average motorist can feel and benefit from with lower overall running costs and reduced emissions.

Mazda’s fleet average consumption was 12.58 kilometers per liter, with emissions of 187 grams per kilometer, besting 13 other manufacturers included in the EPA review.

As a driving enthusiast with a conscience, we all want to eke out every possible iota of efficiency in a vehicle while maintaining an engaging driving experience.

Thankfully, we have companies like Mazda who, while trying to keep up with the ever tightening emissions and economy performance standards of the world, still go above and beyond the norm to deliver cars that are exciting to drive.