But the company's latest series of introductions, however, seem to indicate a shift of persona towards safety as being at the forefront. That's in the opinion of others, of course, with Mazda execs silent on the speculation.
So what spun the pundits to wonder about Mazda's future? Recently, the automaker made news about its Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV-4) which showcased safety technologies such as systems that would allow cars to communicate with each other as well as the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) that uses numerous roadside and vehicle sensors to create an “image” of a situation that drivers may not see appear. Based on this vehicle, pundits were all besides themselves that Mazda was reining in its Zoom-Zoom horns for one forlorn, but safe, zoom.
What cannot be forgotten however, is that Mazda continues to offer the only inexpensive, rear-drive, “British” type roadster, the MX-5. And the automaker's RX-8 is the definition of a sporting coupe. Finally, while everyone went bigger and faster, Mazda instead went lighter with better dynamics with their most recent Mazda 2. The fact that their motor could propel a lighter cars more easily and therefor making it faster; simply another plus.
Our take? Mazda has to meet the demand of consumers. Safety sells, Zoom-Zoom sells, a marriage of the two creates a fine automobile. We think it's time for pundits to stop shoehorning cars into one niche or the other. These days, cars can really do everything.
via Los Angeles Times