Mazda Motor has said it aims to lift its annual sales in the ASEAN region to 150,000 units by end of the 2018-19 fiscal year from 100,000 units in the year ending last March, according to a company statement.
The Japanese automaker plans to revamp its dealerships across the region to help bolster the brand's image, starting with the countries in which it is strongest –namely Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.
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Its showrooms will get a more elegant lookwith "sport black" and wood-grain features, which the dealers will pay for but will be rewarded with additional benefits including sales incentives.
Mazda aims to increase the ASEAN region's share of global sales to around 10% by 2019, from 7% (of its 1.55 million sales) in the last fiscal year.
The revamp of its 140 dealerships in Thailand is scheduled to be completed by March 2019 and additional outlets also may be added in new areas. It will also expand its engine assembly facility in Chonburi, just east of Bangkok, to help meet the higher targets.
In Malaysia, the company plans to add a second shift at its plant in Kulim in Kedah state, and double output to 35,000 vehicles in the current fiscal year. It will also install additional facilities at the plant including a new paint-shop. The plant makes the CX-5 SUV for sale domestically and for export.
After recently rolling out the CX-3 compact SUV region-wide, Mazda plans to launch its new CX-9 flagship SUV in the ASEAN region this year.
