Mazda to Start Making Over Its US Dealerships
Not that any of us in the States would know it, but Mazda has lately been giving makeovers to its Japanese dealerships since the 2014 fiscal year, to great success—one dealer group in the greater Tokyo area reported that, with the new design in place, the dealership saw an average 70% jump in new customers at each of its four locations that underwent the change. These customers were also from a more diverse group, with 18% of them being attracted to Mazda away from imported brands.
So, to spread that goodness around and as part of the automaker’s attempts to advance its stature as a premium car brand, Mazda Motor plans to give a modern makeover to 130 of its US dealerships by 2018.
Modern Classic: Check out the new Mazda MX-5 Miata
The new dealership designs feature interiors and exteriors covered in black hues with wood accents, as well as strategically-placed lights to accentuate the virtues of Mazda’s vehicles. The new look was created by Mazda’s own design team, and has already been applied to 10 US dealerships, leaving 120 more spots for the United States’ 630 Mazda dealerships.
The dealership makeover is actually only being partly subsidized by Mazda itself for dealerships that offer no discounts (which is part of the brand strategy of advancing itself through improving its vehicles to premium levels) or that support this strategy in some way. That subsidy would probably be very strongly sought after, since it is estimated that the renovations can cost hundreds of millions of yen.
May Want to Check That: Calculate what your payments will be with this online calculator
News Source: Nikkei Asian Review
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.