Mazda Dealer Network Breaking Records
As most of the world's manufacturing sectors continue to experience declines in annual sales and profits, one company is making money in defiance of the norms. What's more astonishing is the fact that the company in question is part of the historically troubled auto industry. So who is that company? It is none other than Japanese auto maker Mazda.
Mazda has exceeded both their own sales goals and projections for '08 and '09. A big part of that success can be traced back to the professionalism and dedication of the Mazda Dealer Network. Now more than 160 dealers strong in the UK, the network prides itself on top-of-the-line customer service to back up some of the world's finest cars.
Mazda invests plenty of resources and time into their dealers to insure proper training and support. The belief that dealers are the backbone of Mazda sales permeates all the interactions between dealerships and corporate headquarters. From the Mazda Academy to individual business management assistance, the Mazda Dealer Network is given the full faith and support of the company.
That support is paying off is some impressive sales numbers. To begin with, Mazda hit an all-time record in terms of market share this past summer, rising to 3.8% of the retail market and 2.7% of the fleet market. Even while overall sales for the industry continued to fall through the first half of 2010, Mazda keeps selling new and used vehicles.
'08-'09 Numbers
The first half of 2009 saw an increase of net profits by 60% over the same period of 2008. That is an astonishing number when one considers the industry as a whole suffered sales losses of more than 25%. Mazda's margin rose during that time to 1.55 even though turnover was down. As mentioned earlier, a big factor in the margin/turnover ratio is the dedication of the Mazda Dealer Network.
By reducing inventory at individual dealerships, while still providing the same excellent customer care, dealers were able to satisfy the demand for their products without hurting themselves with excessive overhead. Dealers can thank Mazda Academy training for guiding them through such sound business practices.
'09-'10 Numbers
In August of 2010, retail sales in the auto industry were down again, this time at a dismal rate of 37%. Mazda beat the trend with increased sales of more than 4%. The 1,512 cars sold during August raised the company's total to more than 29,000 for the year. That's an increase of nearly 18% over the same period in 2009. Most dramatic was the Mazda6, which outsold its competitors by a 5-1 ratio. All this is further evidence that Mazda continues its strong performance despite downward industry trends.