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Mazda planning 'aggressive' dealer shakeup

Mazda has set an ambitious goal of selling 400,000 units by the end of the 2015 Japanese fiscal year in March 2016, and to do that, it's going to need to take some aggressive action. That means that underperforming members of its 637-showroom strong dealer network are about to get the axe.
The purge won't just be limited to dealers that aren't performing, though. Mazda will seek to consolidate poorly located dealers and build new showrooms in better locations. It still isn't clear how many dealers are being targeted or at what point Mazda would end its cull.
This consolidation of dealers is all part of a one-two punch for the Japanese brand, that will also see increased marketing efforts in 35 key areas. Of those markets, Mazda is placing a special emphasis on New York and LA, although there's not much mention of what other regions are being looked at.

Mazdaspeed3 concept tipped for Frankfurt debut

The last quarter of 2015 could be a big one for Mazda as a report has emerged from Australia claiming that the company will come to the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with a near-production concept of the third-generation Mazdaspeed3, while a second-generation CX-9 will be shown a few months later in Los Angeles. Motoring.com.au ran the initial report, and although the news seems plausible, the outlet doesn't provide sources for either piece of news. Likewise, our friends at Mazda USA refused to comment on "speculation." Speculation it may be, but it's surely tantalizing considering the recent popularity of both the hot hatch and three-row crossover segments. According to the Aussies, the concept Speed3 will quickly evolve into a production model, which will launch alongside a mid-cycle refresh for the current 3. A turbocharged 2.5-liter will spit out 295 horsepower, and could have all-wheel drive. Even if only the front axle is doing the work, the MS3 will easily be able to stand toe-to-toe with hotter half of the segment based on output alone. As for the more mundane offerings, Motoring reports the long-in-the-tooth CX-9 will get a replacement in LA, although it doesn't offer much in the way of details beyond that. It should be interesting to see how the company's Skyactiv philosophy will be implemented on such a large vehicle. Perhaps the biggest surprise from the Australian report, though, are the outlet's reports on the CX-7, which will return sporting a third row of seats after its larger sibling debuts. That'd give Mazda a versatile lineup of four crossovers, with the sub-compact CX-3, the compact CX-5, the midsize, seven-passenger CX-7 and the fullsize CX-9. As we weren't able to confirm any of this with Mazda, we'd still warn that this news should be ingested with grains of salt. Still, it looks like the company could be set to make some waves in the first two shows of the upcoming auto show season.

Mazda5 may not be long for this world

The concept behind building a smaller but still useful minivan like the Mazda5 always seemed like such a good idea. However, since the little people hauler's introduction, there has been the rise of the compact crossover in the US, which fulfills a similar niche for many buyers. The future is not looking good for the utilitarian Mazda. Autocar from the UK reports that company officials confirm the Mazda5 is being discontinued there, with no replacement planned. Autoblog reached out to Mazda North America, but the company would not verify future product changes in this region. Though, the model's cancellation would hardly be a surprise to follow in North America, as well. The minivan market is a tough place these days, and dealers tend to prefer more expensive models for their high margins. Even FCA US is abandoning the inexpensive portion of the segment for the next-gen Chrysler Town & Country. The Mazda5 isn't exactly a sales standout, either. Mazda sold 11,613 of them in all of 2014, which was a 16.4 percent drop from 13,884 in 2013. To compare to larger, more expensive minivans, Honda moved 122,738 units of the Odyssey last year, and Toyota did 124,502 examples of the Sienna. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2012 Mazda5 View 31 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Mazda Mazda Minivan/Van mazda5