Is quirkiness the secret to Mazda’s record profit?

Glenn Brooks

Wed, May 14, 2025, 4:08 AM 8 min read

A pick-up from Isuzu, almighty PHEVs, a caller scope of six-cylinder petrol and adjacent diesel engines, SUVs for antithetic regions, EVs made successful China: highly profitable, medium-sized Mazda behaves similar a large OEM, albeit, a astir antithetic one.

Such examples are lone a illustration from what is simply a analyzable planetary strategy for ongoing success. Consider excessively innovative propulsion systems and a wide continued reinvention, each of which assistance to support the Hiroshima-based institution thriving. Witness its JPY543bn (US$3.67bn) operating income and JPY5.8 tr (US$37bn) nett income for fiscal 24/25, each a caller record.

Will US tariffs clobber Mazda?

Mazda is adjacent doing good successful the PRC. The aforesaid applies successful the USA wherever April income measurement was 37,660. Locally-built models comprise a specified 19% of that total, however, truthful tariffs could go a large issue. As ever though, the institution volition find a mode to support connected keeping on: witnesser its inaugural to person Toyota manufacture the CX-50 astatine a JV works successful Alabama. This was an inspired move, redeeming the immense outgo of erecting its ain plant.

Playing to innate strengths and leveraging aggregate cleverly chosen partnerships seems to beryllium the wide approach. Why past does hardly anyone wage attraction to who runs Mazda? Successive CEOs should beryllium famous, successful the benignant of Akio Toyoda.

It ought to beryllium a root of amazement that the likes of GM, Ford, Stellantis and present arsenic stock price-obsessed Volkswagen neglect to person Japanese nationals atop their companies. And wherefore would that beryllium novel? Until precocious Volvo Cars was tally by a Scot, Nissan erstwhile much has a foreigner arsenic main executive, and truthful on.

Is it indelicate to ponder if immoderate of the extravagantly remunerated bosses of large US- oregon Europe-based OEMs has ever established and maintained a palmy concern successful China? Now see Toyota and Honda. They merchantability tons of cars determination and marque monolithic profits. How? Quietly and consistently, ever adapting, with a semipermanent focus.

Quirkiness arsenic a strength

The Mazda attack is conscionable similar that of TMC: ne'er beryllium complacent, support reinventing everything. And should things go challenging, is determination is simply a loud, publically aired panic followed by convulsive outgo cutting? Hardly ever. Analysts mightiness for illustration fret astir spending connected the likes of rotary and diesel engines past downgrade their outlook. Mazda softly carries on, arsenic it did a fewer years backmost erstwhile that was happening. All the quirky things assistance acceptable this institution and its cars apart.

What immoderate don’t spot is the strategical choices being made. I’ve conscionable been driving a CX-60 and soon, a CX-80 too. Each looks premium, is priced that way, has powertrains which basal retired and was developed with people markets successful mind. The wider-bodied and otherwise powered CX-70 and CX-90 don’t travel to Europe yet they’re portion of the aforesaid family. Mazda spent large and spent once. Now it’s reaping the benefits.