February 2009 Mazda5 Sales

[remarquian]

[Here's the monthly sales report I've been doing, it just adds the historical monthly sales from 2007 to 2009]

North America Mazda released their February 2009 sales data.

The Mazda5 had a pretty good month: 2,257 Mazda5s were sold in February, up 11.7% from February 2008. That would be the Mazda5's third highest sales month ever.

Here's the data I gathered from 2007 to the present.

                      North American Mazda5 Sales

       Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug   Sep   Oct  Nov  Dec  YTD
2009   1340 2257                                                      3597
2008   1699 2021 2758 2011 2072 1416 1336 1324  1080  1921 1499 2884 22021
2007   1323 1565 1657 1214 1449 1096  956  948   852   558  468 1627 13717

 

[P5w3kids]

Pretty incredible, really. Sales of most car models are WAY down.

 

[x10dude]

When is Mazda5 ever going to get it's due?

I read a report that Mazda executives are meeting weekly in Irvine, Ca to try to figure out how to stem the massive decline in sales...

Here is a novel idea, why not advertise the ONLY vehicle you have in your lineup that shows any growth? (or is that too simple of any answer for them?)

Before the argument used to be that they couldn't import enough of them (not enough production) Well with Mazda cutting production as big as 50% in recent months, that argument doesn't really hold water anymore.

I'm just seriously puzzled why Mazda doesn't really "sell" this vehicle. It is like the perfect car to sell in this recession.

 

[starlightmica]

"No income, no job, no assets? Mazda5."
"Mazda5. The car to drive when you're getting foreclosed on."
"Mazda5. Matches the barrel that you're using as a business suit."

Seriously, advertising the 5 would probably cut their profit in half. FWIW, Consumer Reports just gave it the highest score in the Station Wagon category for the 2nd year in a row.

 

[coolmazda5]

If you see the whole Mazda line up, the Mazda5 is the ONLY model with increased sales compared to Feb 2008...

 

[remarquian]

Chart

Here's a Chart to illustrate it graphically.

 

[x10dude]

"No income, no job, no assets? Mazda5."
"Mazda5. The car to drive when you're getting foreclosed on."
"Mazda5. Matches the barrel that you're using as a business suit."
.

Hilarious. But what I meant is that in a recession, car buyers tend to go for the function and value... which the Mazda5 excels in.

 

[coolmazda5]

"No income, no job, no assets? Mazda5."
"Mazda5. The car to drive when you're getting foreclosed on."
"Mazda5. Matches the barrel that you're using as a business suit."

...and I was being such a snob with my cars (sad2)

 

[Heat]

For the sake of comparison, here are the rest of Mazda’s numbers.
Model: Feb 2009 Sales / Feb 2008 Sales Change

Mazda3: 6,347 / 7,893 (19.6)%
Mazda5: 2,257 / 2,091 11.7%
Mazda6: 3,513 / 5,527 (36.4)%
MX-5Miata: 489 / 924 (47.1)%
RX-8: 155 / 319 (51.4)%
CX-7: 1,574 / 3,185 (50.6)%
Tribute: 355 / 1,386 (74.4)%
B-Series Truck: 60 / 93 (35.5)%

Total Vehicles:
CARS: 12,761 / 16,684 (23.5)%
TRUCKS 3,640 / 6,864 (47.0)%

And of course, numbers in parenthesis are negative numbers. Note that the Mazda5 was the only Mazda vehicle that had an increase from Feb. ’08 to Feb ’09.

 

[Mark787B]

Very interesting... I'm not sure if I'm typical of a new type of 5 owner but in looking fora do-it-all vehicle, the 5 has a unique combination of appealing traits, starting with an inexpensive sticker price. Of late, I became sick of a revolving door of performance cars every two years and with the economy struggling (though my job is secure) I wanted a cheaper alternative to daily transportation. I'm single and without kids and that's the the question I keep answering "Why did you buy a mini-mini van?" Because I'm smart, or would like to think so...

 

[x10dude]

Very interesting... I'm not sure if I'm typical of a new type of 5 owner but in looking fora do-it-all vehicle, the 5 has a unique combination of appealing traits, starting with an inexpensive sticker price. Of late, I became sick of a revolving door of performance cars every two years and with the economy struggling (though my job is secure) I wanted a cheaper alternative to daily transportation. I'm single and without kids and that's the the question I keep answering "Why did you buy a mini-mini van?" Because I'm smart, or would like to think so...

The Mazda5 is the perfect excuse to buy one. It has the functionality of a minivan (albeit smaller) but it doesn't have the stigma of a "mom-mobile". None of my friends see it as a minivan because it doesn't really look like a minivan on the road.

 

[07MZ5SA]

Finally, Americans are thinking like Europeans and Asians going for highly functional compact space wagon instead of big minivans or SUVs.

 

[Jay Gloab]

Finally, Americans are thinking like Europeans and Asians going for highly functional compact space wagon instead of big minivans or SUVs.

That's kind of a stretch. The Mazda5, despite its sales growth, represents a tiny subset of the total sales of 6-passenger (or more) car sales.

If I may indulge in gross generalizations... Americans generally think bigger is better, and will buy the biggest cars they can afford. With the economy going in the tank, fewer can afford the monster SUVs or even full-size minivans, which is likely driving the sales increase of the 5. It's not Americans getting smarter.

 

[coolmazda5]

Dropped my little one at school today and parked next to an 09 Mazda5 which was about to leave. I made the "cool car" comment (I've seen only 2 there in 2 years) and she just laughed. She went on to tell me that it was a rental, not hers, as her "minivan" was in the shop, but here is the interesting comment:

• The car is smaller to what I'm used to...
• BUT, I told my husband this car handles great, I really like how it hugs the road and the space is not bad for what I need now

I would say this is a common thing to say already, but interestingly enough this is coming from a soccer mom minivan owner.

So the trend might be slowly changing after all...

 

[Davicho]

The most common comment I get is the surprising WHAT!? When people ask me what kind of vehicle it is and I answer "it's a Mazda5, and it seats six, 2+2+2" The next thing that happens is a free open house because the don't believe me. Then finished by a "WOW I like it and I want one"

Mazda should really invest some money in advertising this little wonder.

 

[09GT]

The advertising could go both ways, in addition to cutting into profits. Considering the fact that the Mazda5 has no real direct competition (I personally don't think anything compares without rear sliding doors), this competitive advantage could potentially be leveraged big time. On the flip side, highlighting this feature could potentially stigmatize the brand and repel certain people who equate sliding doors with **shudder** minivans. Nevertheless, the sales figures certainly speak to the perceived value of this car, which, in addition to the performance and relative attractiveness (compared with your standard minivan) is the reason I just bought one. I say good for Mazda blazing new trails. (drinks)

 

[x10dude]

The advertising could go both ways, in addition to cutting into profits. Considering the fact that the Mazda5 has no real direct competition (I personally don't think anything compares without rear sliding doors), this competitive advantage could potentially be leveraged big time. On the flip side, highlighting this feature could potentially stigmatize the brand and repel certain people who equate sliding doors with **shudder** minivans. Nevertheless, the sales figures certainly speak to the perceived value of this car, which, in addition to the performance and relative attractiveness (compared with your standard minivan) is the reason I just bought one. I say good for Mazda blazing new trails. (drinks)

I really don't see your argument how advertising can hurt the Mazda5... Barring a truly terrible ad campaign, I can't see how even modest advertising for the 5 would be a negative. The sliding doors are perhaps it's best feature.

I think we also need to put the Mazda5 sales performance in a bit of perspective. Yes, the numbers are going up which is a FEAT in this economy. But let's be realistic, 2500 vehicles a month is not a huge number. Perhaps one of the reasons other car companies haven't announced any direct competitors to the Mazda5 is that they don't really see it as a mainstream vehicle.
Outside of this forum (and other Mazda enthusiasts) it still is a car that few people recognize.

 

[coolmazda5]

^^ thankfully not recognized to be honest

 

[09GT]

I really don't see your argument how advertising can hurt the Mazda5... Barring a truly terrible ad campaign, I can't see how even modest advertising for the 5 would be a negative. The sliding doors are perhaps it's best feature.

I agree with you 100% that the sliding doors are its best feature. It's one of the main reasons I bought one. But many more people would rather drive some sort of SUV/crossover vehicle than be stuck with a minivan (or the stigma of driving one), and my personal opinion is that people equate sliding doors with minivans. You obviously have a different perspective on this, but to me, despite marginally better looks, the 5 is extremely minivan-esque.

All the same, I typed that post without really looking at the actual sales figures, or being aware of how small those numbers are compared with other cars. You're right - the 5 is not mainstream at all and will likely remain a small niche for Mazda, which suits me just fine.

 

[x10dude]

I agree with you 100% that the sliding doors are its best feature. It's one of the main reasons I bought one. But many more people would rather drive some sort of SUV/crossover vehicle than be stuck with a minivan (or the stigma of driving one), and my personal opinion is that people equate sliding doors with minivans. You obviously have a different perspective on this, but to me, despite marginally better looks, the 5 is extremely minivan-esque.

All the same, I typed that post without really looking at the actual sales figures, or being aware of how small those numbers are compared with other cars. You're right - the 5 is not mainstream at all and will likely remain a small niche for Mazda, which suits me just fine.

Agreed. Evidently Mazda's design department is much more competent than their advertisement department.