Kenny
11-03-2003, 08:17 AM
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=6574
Executives from the Ford Motor Co. have talked about the potential locked away inside their vast enterprise that stretches all the way around the world.
Now the first car to tap the potential, the Mazda3, is ready for its debut in the United States.
The Mazda3 was developed jointly by engineers from Ford Motor Co., Volvo, and Mazda over the past four years. It is the forerunner of several vehicles that will be developed within Ford's corporate family over the next few years by drawing on the engineering resources in the U.S., Sweden, and Japan. Ford owns a one-third interest in Mazda and Volvo Automotive is now a wholly owned subsidiary.
Platform-mates
Robert Davis, Mazda senior vice president marketing and product development, noted during a visit to the Detroit area the basic engineering platform used for the Mazda3 will also serve as a basis for the Volvo S40 and for the next version of Ford Focus from Ford of Europe. The S40 was unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show and will reach showrooms next year.
During the three-way collaboration that led to the development of the Mazda3/VolvoS40/Ford Focus, Mazda's engineers concentrated on the powertrain, Volvo supplied its safety expertise, and Ford of Europe developed the suspension for what is now the Mazda3, Davis said. "It was a most successful collaboration," he added.
Hideki Suzuki, chief designer for the Mazda3 project, acknowledged there were plenty of arguments during the development process the way but they were eventually resolved.
The collaboration resulted in a new vehicle that is longer, wider, and more spacious than the Protégé, which has been a mainstay of the Mazda line since the late 1990s, Mazda officials noted.
The new Mazda3 is stylish, spirited and more powerful than the old Protégé it replaces and matches up well with other competitors in its class, including the Toyota Corolla/Matrix, the Nissan Sentra, and Honda Civic, Davis added.
The new Mazda3 also comes in two different body styles - a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback that will appeal to different types of buyers, predicted Suzuki, one of the Japanese automaker's top designers.
"The Mazda3 is a car with its own personality on the road and in the mind," Suzuki said. "We wanted to establish a strong position."
Suzuki said Mazda's designers also invested a lot of attention on the interior. "We wanted to change the idea that (small) cars have poor interiors," Suzuki said.
Mazda officials said the 2004 Mazda3 has been priced the same as the 2003 Protégé even though it is a new vehicle. Prices will start at $13,680 for the sedan with the standard engine, while the five-door model will sell for $16,895 to start, Mazda officials said.
Davis said the Japanese automaker is prepared to launch an extensive advertising campaign behind the Mazda3. The interactive advertising on the Internet has already started, he said, and a major push is planned for New Year's Day, when potential buyers are tuned in to football.
Jay Amestoy, Mazda vice president of communications, said Mazda is hoping that the introduction of the Mazda3 will help boost the company's sales between five percent and ten percent in 2004 to between 290,000 and 300,000 units. So far this year, Mazda sales have dropped because of a decision by the company to withdraw from fleet sales and to emphasize retail business, Amestoy said.
Executives from the Ford Motor Co. have talked about the potential locked away inside their vast enterprise that stretches all the way around the world.
Now the first car to tap the potential, the Mazda3, is ready for its debut in the United States.
The Mazda3 was developed jointly by engineers from Ford Motor Co., Volvo, and Mazda over the past four years. It is the forerunner of several vehicles that will be developed within Ford's corporate family over the next few years by drawing on the engineering resources in the U.S., Sweden, and Japan. Ford owns a one-third interest in Mazda and Volvo Automotive is now a wholly owned subsidiary.
Platform-mates
Robert Davis, Mazda senior vice president marketing and product development, noted during a visit to the Detroit area the basic engineering platform used for the Mazda3 will also serve as a basis for the Volvo S40 and for the next version of Ford Focus from Ford of Europe. The S40 was unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show and will reach showrooms next year.
During the three-way collaboration that led to the development of the Mazda3/VolvoS40/Ford Focus, Mazda's engineers concentrated on the powertrain, Volvo supplied its safety expertise, and Ford of Europe developed the suspension for what is now the Mazda3, Davis said. "It was a most successful collaboration," he added.
Hideki Suzuki, chief designer for the Mazda3 project, acknowledged there were plenty of arguments during the development process the way but they were eventually resolved.
The collaboration resulted in a new vehicle that is longer, wider, and more spacious than the Protégé, which has been a mainstay of the Mazda line since the late 1990s, Mazda officials noted.
The new Mazda3 is stylish, spirited and more powerful than the old Protégé it replaces and matches up well with other competitors in its class, including the Toyota Corolla/Matrix, the Nissan Sentra, and Honda Civic, Davis added.
The new Mazda3 also comes in two different body styles - a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback that will appeal to different types of buyers, predicted Suzuki, one of the Japanese automaker's top designers.
"The Mazda3 is a car with its own personality on the road and in the mind," Suzuki said. "We wanted to establish a strong position."
Suzuki said Mazda's designers also invested a lot of attention on the interior. "We wanted to change the idea that (small) cars have poor interiors," Suzuki said.
Mazda officials said the 2004 Mazda3 has been priced the same as the 2003 Protégé even though it is a new vehicle. Prices will start at $13,680 for the sedan with the standard engine, while the five-door model will sell for $16,895 to start, Mazda officials said.
Davis said the Japanese automaker is prepared to launch an extensive advertising campaign behind the Mazda3. The interactive advertising on the Internet has already started, he said, and a major push is planned for New Year's Day, when potential buyers are tuned in to football.
Jay Amestoy, Mazda vice president of communications, said Mazda is hoping that the introduction of the Mazda3 will help boost the company's sales between five percent and ten percent in 2004 to between 290,000 and 300,000 units. So far this year, Mazda sales have dropped because of a decision by the company to withdraw from fleet sales and to emphasize retail business, Amestoy said.