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Mazda 3 will upscale Irish sales

02 September 2003: Mazda in Ireland will be expecting to sell some 4,000 new Mazda 3s next year, subject to enough being available to meet the demand. This will give the car about 7 per cent share in the C segment.

The car arrives here around the end of November, and MDL Mazda Division's Dave Moran said last evening that by that time they'll have two months' worth of production available to meet the needs of the critical buying period in the early part of 2004.

The Mazda 3 will arrive in Ireland in both hatchback and saloon (above) forms. Engines will include 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre turbodiesel which is bred from a Ford/PSA Group joint programme. There will also be a 2-litre petrol version, but this is not expected to be a major player in the Irish market.

The 1.4-litre engine will be limited to the hatchback 5-door, and the saloon will start with a 1.6-litre. An automatic version will also be available with this engine.

No 3-door or coupe version is envisaged for the moment under Mazda's global model policy.

In a similar way as the Mazda 6 has been successfully marketed, there will be an entry level version of the Mazda 3, a Comfort version, and after that there will be variants upgrading by some E1,500-E2,000 steps at a time.

Although there will be a 1.6-litre turbodiesel in the range, Mazda ireland's Dave Moran doesn't expect that this will mean an extension of the current 9 per cent diesel penetration in the segment in Ireland, most of it represented by VW products. He said the current taxation policy in Ireland doesn't encourage this direction, unlike in other parts of Europe.

But he said that after some 30 years of Mazda 323 sales in Ireland, there's a strong and loyal custumer base for the new version. He also said that there are virtually no residual stocks of the outgoing 323 in Irish dealerships, and for those few that might be there, there are 'good deals going'.

The new Mazda is built on the upcoming new Focus platform, as is the C-MAX compact MPV which Ford intends to bring to Ireland in November. The platform will also underpin the next Volvo S40 due in Ireland next spring.

A short run yesterday afternoon in a 1.6-litre Mazda 3 previewed a car that is strongly built, very quiet, and where a high quality of finish outside and inside is a key part of the brand's investment strategy.

It is also highly styled, using cues from the current very successful Mazda 6 and Mazda 2 cars, and may well be a more radical car in style than the Focus due to debut in the spring.

	September 2003 - Brian Byrne
Mazda 3 will upscale Irish sales 02 September 2003: Mazda in Ireland will be expecting to sell some 4,000 new Mazda 3s next year, subject to enough being available to meet the demand. This will give the car about 7 per cent share in the C segment. The car arrives here around the end of November, and MDL Mazda Division's Dave Moran said last evening that by that time they'll have two months' worth of production available to meet the needs of the critical buying period in the early part of 2004. The Mazda 3 will arrive in Ireland in both hatchback and saloon (above) forms. Engines will include 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre turbodiesel which is bred from a Ford/PSA Group joint programme. There will also be a 2-litre petrol version, but this is not expected to be a major player in the Irish market. The 1.4-litre engine will be limited to the hatchback 5-door, and the saloon will start with a 1.6-litre. An automatic version will also be available with this engine. No 3-door or coupe version is envisaged for the moment under Mazda's global model policy. In a similar way as the Mazda 6 has been successfully marketed, there will be an entry level version of the Mazda 3, a Comfort version, and after that there will be variants upgrading by some E1,500-E2,000 steps at a time. Although there will be a 1.6-litre turbodiesel in the range, Mazda ireland's Dave Moran doesn't expect that this will mean an extension of the current 9 per cent diesel penetration in the segment in Ireland, most of it represented by VW products. He said the current taxation policy in Ireland doesn't encourage this direction, unlike in other parts of Europe. But he said that after some 30 years of Mazda 323 sales in Ireland, there's a strong and loyal custumer base for the new version. He also said that there are virtually no residual stocks of the outgoing 323 in Irish dealerships, and for those few that might be there, there are 'good deals going'. The new Mazda is built on the upcoming new Focus platform, as is the C-MAX compact MPV which Ford intends to bring to Ireland in November. The platform will also underpin the next Volvo S40 due in Ireland next spring. A short run yesterday afternoon in a 1.6-litre Mazda 3 previewed a car that is strongly built, very quiet, and where a high quality of finish outside and inside is a key part of the brand's investment strategy. It is also highly styled, using cues from the current very successful Mazda 6 and Mazda 2 cars, and may well be a more radical car in style than the Focus due to debut in the spring.
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