Mazda will focus on boosting sales in Japan by one-third from 150,000 to 200,000, as tariffs continue to impact the cars it exports to the US, its largest market.
Mazda intends to "regrow" its business in Japan to hit an annual sales target of 200,000 vehicles "as early as possible" in response to the tariff impact on cars it exports to the United States.
The brand said it will apply the lessons it learnt in growing its US sales to record levels – before an expected tariff-induced decline – to Japan, including reforming its sales network, improving efficiencies, marketing investments, and instilling "brand value" at its dealers.
An annual sales goal of 200,000 vehicles would require Mazda to increase its domestic-market sales by around one-third, as it delivered 152,000 vehicles in Japan between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
Japan is Mazda's second-largest market for vehicle sales behind the US, which achieved a record 424,382 deliveries between January 1 and December 31, 2024, up 17 per cent over 2023.
However, Automotive News reports Japan only accounts for around 10 per cent of Mazda's total global sales, and it is the sixth best-selling brand there behind Toyota, Suzuki, Honda, Daihatsu and Nissan.
"Considering various situations including the most recent tariffs, we think there is a pressing need to rebolster and accelerate our domestic business," Mazda president Tadashi Miura said.
Australia is also one of Mazda's biggest markets, with 95,987 vehicles delivered in 2024, down 4 per cent from 2023 when it reached 100,008 sales.
The impact of tariffs appears to have been felt by Mazda last month, with its sales in the United States dipping 6.1 per cent compared to May 2024, from 35,562 to 28,937.
In its US line-up, the Mazda CX-50 is the only model built in the nation, while the Mazda 3 and CX-30 are imported from Mexico.
All other Mazdas sold in the US – its best-selling CX-5, the CX-70, the CX-90, and the MX-5 – are built in Japan, making them susceptible to a 25 per cent automotive tariff as trade negotiations between Tokyo and Washington continue.
Mazda has halted deliveries of its CX-50 to Canada to send more tariff-free examples to its US dealers, and to avoid a retaliatory tariff Canada has imposed on vehicles built in the US.
Reuters reports the automotive industry accounted for around 28 per cent of the 21 billion yen ($AU223 billion) of total goods exported from Japan to the United States in 2024, while vehicle exports fell 1.7 per cent in May over the same month last year.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
