Mazda, Toyota, Honda Vows to Spend on R&D Even as Profits Plunge

Hard hit by production stoppages and weakening sales, some carmakers have turned to conserving cash as means to ride out the coronavirus pandemic; but not for Mazda, as well as Toyota and Honda. These automakers intend to continue spending and developing next-generation technologies.

A report out of Automotive News (subscription required) says these three automakers are keeping their focus squarely at the long-term. Mazda which booked a net loss of USD 20.3 billion, and a 20 percent decline in global sales (January to March 2020) says they will continue to set up their development game. Quoting Akira Koga, Mazda senior managing executive officer:

“We will not relent in our investment in development and facility for our future growth. We will continue and step it up.”

These sentiments are echoed by Toyota President Akio Toyota. Despite suffering an 86 percent net income tumble, he suggested that it’s shortsighted of companies to cut back on advanced research or programs to save money in the short term. He said:

“I sense that there seems to be much talk about a V-shaped turnaround. By deciding to stop various things, an individual company can turn its results around. It bothers me that such action often seems to be praised. That’s not right. This is how I feel.”

Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo feels the same way.

“In order to survive, we will continue to invest in the next-generation technologies at all cost. We have no intention of scaling it down.”

For fiscal year 2020-2021, Toyota will actually increase its R&D outlay from 3.7 to 4.6 percent of revenue. Meanwhile, despite selling just 1.42 million vehicles compared to Toyota’s 10.46 million, Mazda will spend 3.9 percent of its revenue on R&D. And while Honda hasn’t released a figure, last year, it funneled 5.5 percent of its revenue into future technologies.

This kind of thinking contrasts with other carmakers such as Ford and General Motors which have previously announced cutbacks to its long-term technological investments. It remains to be seen what road other Japanese carmakers such as Nissan and Mitsubishi will take.

More Mazda Dealerships Are Ready to Serve Under "New Normal" Conditions

Following the government’s easing of quarantine restrictions, Mazda Philippines is announcing the re-opening of its Luzon-based dealership network. Twenty Mazda dealers will be ready to serve customers starting tomorrow, building from the three that already re-opened in GCQ areas last May 5, 2020 (see full list below).

All Mazda dealerships will comply with health and safety guidelines set forth by the Department of Health as well as other regulations set by each dealership’s respective LGU. These measures include social distancing, wearing of face masks for dealer employees and customers, temperature checking, and regular sanitization of facilities and cars.

Like other brands, vehicle servicing will be done on a by appointment basis only.

Mazda dealerships open from May 16 onward

• Mazda Alabang (service only)
• Mazda Cabanatuan (service only)
• Mazda Dagupan (service only)
• Mazda Davao
• Mazda Greenhills
• Mazda Pampanga (service only)
• Mazda Tarlac (service only)

Mazda dealerships open from May 18 onward

• Mazda Alabang (sales and service)
• Mazda Cabanatuan (sales and service)
• Mazda Cavite
• Mazda Dagupan (sales and service)
• Mazda Iloilo
• Mazda Makati
• Mazda Pampanga
• Mazda Santa Rosa
• Mazda Tarlac

Mazda dealerships open from May 20 onward

• Mazda North EDSA
• Mazda Pasig
• Mazda Pulilan
• Mazda Quezon Avenue

Mazda Uses Recycled, Bio Plastics for Their Cars

As a global society, people have become more aware of their impact on the environment, and the need to create a sustainable future through developing products that contribute towards the reduction of emissions and materials that have an adverse effect on the environment. In response to this, Mazda has been at the forefront of plastic recycling for over three decades, and was the first automotive manufacturer to recycle bumpers from end-of-life cars.

Since 1992 Mazda has recycled approximately 1,280,000 bumpers from Japanese market cars alone, a quantity that if laid end-to-end would stretch from London to Moscow.

Mazda’s research into plastic recycling has been ongoing since the late 1980’s. Recognizing the environmental need to recycle plastic, Mazda was the first automotive manufacturer to recycle used bumpers in 1992, initially these bumpers were used to produce pens and plastic automotive parts that were unseen, such as under trays.

The problem with end-of-life vehicles was many of the bumpers were more than ten years old making it technically and financially difficult as they varied in terms of paint adhesive properties and composition of their plastic. One of the biggest barriers to recycling old bumpers was the inefficient paint removal process. By 2001 Mazda had improved the paint removal process sufficiently to allow the use of the plastic to reinforce new bumpers, and by 2007 had refined the process to remove 99.9 percent of the paint, leading the way to develop a process to use the recycled plastic in the manufacture of new bumpers.

As a result, by 2011 Mazda had developed their world-first recycling technology sufficiently to allow end-of-life bumpers to be converted into plastic resin which was of sufficient quality for use in new car bumpers, first used on the Mazda Biante minivan. Recycled plastic is now used extensively in all new Mazda cars.

In its first EV, the MX-30, Mazda took a step further. The upper section of the MX-30 door interior panel is trimmed in a reprocessed fabric made from recycled PET bottles. Development of a new method for integrated molding of textile and plastic fibers made it possible to create a material with a soft touch that can be processed easily.

But it’s not just plastic recycling where Mazda is leading the industry, Mazda has also developed an industry leading high-quality bio-plastic, first seen on the 2015 MX-5. The bio-based engineering plastic made from plant-derived materials, reduces the use of petroleum resources and carbon dioxide emissions. Waste plant material, such as wood shavings and plant material, is turned into ethanol which is then converted into ethylene and polypropylene. This process is carbon neutral and, unlike alternative materials made from soy or cornstarch and does not remove food resource. Bioplastics feature a higher quality finish than traditional painted plastics and can be used for both interior and exterior use. Aside from the MX-5, it’s now used on the CX-5, Mazda2, Mazda3, and CX-30.

In order to help preserve the planet’s resources it is the responsibility of businesses to provide products and services that benefit the earth and society and Mazda continues to be at the forefront of developing environmentally friendly and recycled plastics for future product, reducing the use of fossil fuels and emissions as part of its Sustainable Zoom Zoom 2030 plan. Launched in 2017, the plan embodies the corporate vision of brightening people’s lives through car ownership and offering cars that are sustainable with the earth and society to more people and is a road map for Mazda to develop technologies that will help resolve issues faced by the earth, society, and people.

Mazda Celebrates 100 Years of Breaking Records

From Hiroshima cork producer to global car manufacturer, 2020 sees Mazda celebrate a century of innovation, pioneering design, and engineering success. One hundred years of business that has also seen a fair share of records achieved by Mazda over the course of its storied history.

Even Mazda’s first passenger car created a record-breaking sales impression when it was launched in 1960. Arriving just as the Sixties economic boom saw the Japanese public embracing car ownership, the Mazda R360’s arrival on the Japanese ‘Kei Car’ micro car marketplace was a huge success with charming 2+2 coupe capturing 65 percent share of Japan’s flourishing microcar segment in 1960, which accounted for 15 percent of the entire Japanese car market.

By 1963 Mazda’s cumulative global production reached one million vehicles, while by 1972 it was five million units. As global sales grew through the 70s and 80s, it was a car launched at the end of Mazda’s third decade of car production that would claim countless sales records across the world—an amazing achievement for a car launched into an automotive sector other manufacturers had abandoned. However, Mazda’s defy convention approach saw it rekindle the affordable rear-wheel drive sportscar, and inspired by the classic British roadsters of the previous decades, the Mazda MX-5 arrived at the 1989 Chicago Motor Show and was an instant sales success.

From its launch in 1989 until today, across four-generations, the Mazda MX-5 has remained one of the world’s most loved drivers’ cars, and in the year 2000 with 532,000 global sales, Mazda’s most famous sports car was official recognized by the Guinness World Record body as the world’s best-selling two-seater roadster, a title it has retained to this day. By 2016 the 1-millionth MX-5, rolled off the assembly line at Ujina Plant No. 1 in Hiroshima and the Soul Red soft-top then embarked on a world tour during which it would collect the signatures of around 200,000 fans.

Even better, MX-5 owners and fans gained their own Guinness World Record when in 2013 a parade of 683 MX-5s in Lelystad in the Netherlands set the record for the largest parade of Mazda cars, while in 2014 American Mazda fans broke the world record for most MX-5s at any single event as 1,934 roadsters from across North America attended a car show at the Mazda Raceway in Salinas, California.

While last year to celebrate the MX-5s 30th birthday, a first-generation MX-5 broke the record for the most hairpin turns covered in 12 hours. The 2,900 curves, taken during a rainy night on the Kaunertal Glacier Road in the Austrian Alps, were more than double the previous RID Rekord Institute for Germany best mark.

However, it isn’t just the popularity of the Mazda MX-5 that’s marked out in sales records, Mazda’s development of the rotary engine set it apart from the rest of the rest of the automotive industry. Launched in 1967, the Mazda Cosmo was the firm’s first production rotary-engined car and by 1986 total Mazda production of rotary powered vehicles had reached 1.5 million, setting records for manufacturing this unique type of engine.

Mazda’s famous rotary also helped the Japanese firm to a host of its speed and competition records: from powering a Mazda RX-7 to become the first Japanese car to win the Spa 24 Hour Race in 1981 to achieving more than 100 class victories in IMSA sportscar racing in the US, the rotary engine ticked off the records, even before it’s most famous achievement: when in 1991 the Mazda 787B took victory in the Le Mans 24 Hour race, making Mazda the first Japanese manufacturer to win the world’s most famous endurance race.

Away from the racetrack the rotary powered Mazda RX-7 claimed further record for Mazda, when in 1986 an RX-7 set a Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Trial record of 238.442mph – breaking the SCTA’s Grand Touring Class record, while in 1995 a modified third-generation RX-7 broke another land speed record at Bonneville, managing 389km/h. And it wasn’t just in the USA that rotary powered Mazdas set records, as in 2004 the RX-8 picked up where its predecessor left off, setting 40 international FIA records on the high-speed oval at the Papenburg automotive testing facility in northwest Germany, even more impressively unlike the modified Bonneville cars, the RX-8 records where achieved by production cars.

Further production car FIA records where achieved in 2014 when the Mazda6 demonstrated the potency of Mazda’s Skyactiv-D diesel engine, by shattering the previous record for highest average speed over 24 hours (221.1km/h vs. 209.8km/h) as well as numerous other FIA records for 2.0 to 2.5 liter turbodiesels.

By 2018 another production milestone was reached with the 50 millionth Japanese-built Mazda and more production landmarks are inevitable as Mazda sets its sights on increasing annual global capacity to 2 million units by 2024. And Mazda’s passion for setting records and defying convention continued when, to highlight the on-ice capabilities of the AWD version of its popular CX-5, Mazda became the first manufacturer to cross the frozen Lake Baikal, the world’s oldest and deepest lake, with production cars.

And finally as Mazda looks the next century of records and to the future of sustainable vehicles, in 2019 it launched the world’s first commercially available compression-ignition petrol engine—Skyactiv-X. Combining the outstanding real-world fuel efficiency of a diesel with the smooth, free-revving nature and responsiveness of a Skyactiv-G petrol powerplant, it’s offered in both the Mazda3 and the Mazda CX-30.

Share Your Mazda Story, Win a Dinner For Two After the Quarantine

Because everyone’s dreaming of road trips during this Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), Mazda Philippines is holding a Facebook contest to recall your fondest Mazda memories.

Sharing your Mazda story will be treated to a dinner for two at Escala Tagaytay once the quarantine is lifted. This is open to anyone who follows the Mazda Philippines Facebook page, resides in Luzon, and with a valid driver’s license.

See the full mechanics below:

• The contest is open to any Facebook user who follows the Mazda Philippines page (you do not need to own a Mazda), resides in Luzon, Philippines, and with a valid driver’s license.
• For 10 weeks (on April 24th and every Wednesday beginning April 29) at 12 noon, Mazda Philippines’s Facebook page will post a contest, guiding participants to share their Mazda story. Qualified contestants can submit their answers via the post’s comment section.
• Mazda Philippines will select a winner by Monday 6 PM of the following week. The winner will be announced through a Facebook post on the same day, and the page will reply to their comment for next instructions.

Mazda Confirms That Rotary Engine Will Return in MX-30 SUV

As part of its 100th anniversary, Mazda has been busy tugging at nostalgia such as coming up with models inspired by the R360 and also highlighting one of its crowning achievements: the mass-production of the rotary engine.

On the surface, the Mazda PR seems innocuous enough, talking about the history of the RX-7. However, there are a couple of lines that stick out and we’ve taken the liberty to highlight it for you below:

“…the company developed a prototype Mazda2 EV with a small single-rotor engine used as a range extender. A similar system could find its way onto the Mazda MX-30...”

Mazda’s continued development of the rotary engine is no secret, but this is the first time we’ve gotten official confirmation from the Japanese carmaker as to its layout and application.

As the company’s first all-electric vehicle, the MX-30 packs an in-house developed battery-driven powertrain called e-Skyactiv. Together with a 35.5-kWh lithium-ion battery, it has a range of about 209 kilometers. Once fitted with the rotary engine as a range extender though, range is expected to more than double. Moreover, Mazda says a rotary engine is perfect as a range extender because it’s quiet, vibration-free, and extremely compact.

We Now Know How Much the Mazda 100th Anniversary Models Cost

A few weeks ago, Mazda dropped a huge surprise in showering their entire line-up with the 100th anniversary treatment. At the time, the Japanese carmaker revealed all sort of info except for one: the price. They said that the pricing will be made available “at a later date.” Well, that “later date” is now, because we now know how much they cost.

As a refresher, the 100th Anniversary Special Edition encompasses the entire Mazda line-up from the Mazda2 all the way to the MX-5 RF.

It’s purely an aesthetics package that hark back to Mazda’s first passenger car, the R360 Coupe. It adopts a two-tone interior color scheme in white and burgundy. Moreover, it has various components such as the headrests, floor mats, key fob, wheel center caps, and special exterior emblems all emblazoned with the special 100th Anniversary logo. The only color available is Snow Flake White Pearl.

With that in mind, Mazda has now released the pricing of the 100th Anniversary Special Edition package in Japan. Depending on the exact model, prices are up anywhere between 2 to 12 percent compared to a similarly speced non-anniversary model.

Smaller models such as the Mazda2 and CX-3 get the heftiest increase, 11 and 10 percent respectively, no doubt because of the special burgundy leather treatment. More premium models like the CX-5, Mazda6 and the MX-5 stay relatively flat with an increase of just 2 to 5 percent.

For now, Mazda’s exclusive Philippine distributor, Bermaz Auto Philippines can’t comment on the availability of the 100th Anniversary models locally. Having said that, expect them to offer it as a limited-edition model not unlike the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition.

How A 0.01 Second Difference Resulted in One of the Mazda CX-30's Little Known Trademark Features

One of the more intriguing, but often unmentioned detail in the Mazda CX-30’s design has to do with its turn signal lights. Just as Mazda focused their attention on something as small as car keys, wipers, and doors—starting with their newest model, they’ve done so as well with the blinkers.

LEDs are becoming the norm on modern cars, simply because of their visibility benefits. Unlike halogen bulbs that gradually increase in brightness when turned on and gradually lose brightness when turned off, LEDs instantly emit light when an electrical current is applied, and reach its peak brightness almost instantaneously. Furthermore, they instantly go out when turned off.

Unfortunately, Mazda sees this “0 or 1” operation as something cold—not fitting with their cars which are supposed to be emotional and evocative. With that, they decided early on in the CX-30’s development that they wanted signal lights that flashed and disappeared like a heartbeat—inspired largely by their very own instrument cluster. This gives it a sense of warm and a sense of life, according to the carmaker.

Working with all the necessary laws and regulations worldwide, their designers and engineers worked with supplier Stanley Electric to make this a reality. The resulting CX-30 signal lights turn on instantaneously like regular LEDs, but gradually dim 0.01 seconds after reaching peak brightness. This gives it a “lingering” effect, resulting in the heartbeat effect that Mazda wanted.

Aside from serving an aesthetic role in the CX-30, these dimming signal lights or heartbeat signal lights are also supposed to make it easier for people looking from the outside to understand the CX-30 driver’s intentions. This, in turn, eases the driver’s tension.

Have you noticed this remarkable little detail in the CX-30? You can see the difference for yourself in this short video below.

Toyota, Mazda Lets the Kids Get Busy With These Paper Crafts

Looking for something to keep the little ones (or even the adults who are young at heart) occupied during the Enhanced Community Quarantine? Well, why don’t you let them build their very own Toyota or Mazda.

These two Japanese carmakers separately made paper craft guides that help pass the time. With the only required materials being paper, a printer, scissors, and glue—you can now make your very own scale model Toyota 86 or a selection of classic Mazda models.

First, download and print the high-resolution PDF of your chosen model (see links below). If have a larger sheet of paper—like an A3-sized one, it’ll actually do, but the minimum would be a Letter sized bond paper.

Using scissors, carefully separate each of the three main sections (the roof and two sides) and each of the four tire tracks, being especially careful not to cut off the little white tabs with dots on.

Fold and glue all of these tabs so they adhere to the underside of the adjacent panel – doing so will pull the car into the three-dimensional shape that should resemble your chosen vehicle.

This activity is recommended for older children; it should take about an hour to carefully put your model together.

• Yatabe Speed Trial Toyota 2000GT Toyota 86
• Shelby Toyota 2000GT Toyota 86
• Ove Andersson Toyota Celica 1600GT Toyota 86
• IMSA GTU Toyota Celica Toyota 86
• Castrol Toyota Celica GT-Four Toyota 86
• Esso Ultron Tiger Toyota Supra Toyota 86
• Mazda2
• Mazda3
• Mazda6
• Mazda CX-3
• Mazda CX-5
• Mazda MX-5
• Mazda Cosmo Sport
• Mazda R360 Coupe
• Mazda Luce Rotary Coupe

Mazda Puts KODO Design to Work Even in Their Car Keys

When was the last time you heard a car company talk in detail about their car keys? With the exception perhaps of premium carmakers such as Aston Martin, Pagani, or BMW (with their Display Key), most of the time, they’re simply off the shelf components with little regard to its design.

As early as mid-2016 though, Mazda began to realize the changing role of car keys in modern cars. Before keys fobs were all about function than form—it was all about pressing buttons that locked or unlocked the doors. Thus, it was ergonomically sound to have large, clear buttons on the key’s surface, sometimes to the detriment of branding or logos.

However, as car keys moved away from physical operation, Mazda designers opted to re-examine the humble car key. As owners pick their keys up and put them in their pocket (or bag), the carmaker realized that it’s the first form of contact a driver would have with their car. Given this intimacy, it’s imperative that the car key must feel special. Their solution is to give it a KODO design.

First up, they separated the key’s functions and branding. Since physical operation is highly unlikely in this day and age, Mazda moved it over to the side. This emphasizes the Mazda branding front and center on the key’s surface. In early stages of the design, there were plans to make it asymmetrical, but stability, they thought, was also important so they settled for a symmetrical design.

Then, the texture of the key surface itself is thick, emphasizing their new premium positioning. Even the surrounding area is made of a genuine metal frame (the area around the key ring, actually) while the rest of the “metallic decoration” is made of plastic because it hides the keyless radio wave antenna.

A fun fact is that in their new-generation products such as the Mazda3 and CX-30, designers purposely hid the key hole not just to cut aesthetic clutter, but they did it do reduce wind noise as much as possible. They key hole is now found when you pull the driver’s door lever, and the emergency key is found at the back of the key fob. When using this emergency key, Mazda continued with its human-centered design taking into account the necessary space so that the emergency key can be turned without being burdened with pulling the door lever.

Moreover, while it’s not uncommon to have accessories such as key cases or covers, Mazda’s accessories team was excited to know that the key shell could be removed. A year into the key’s development, they came up with a “selective key shell” that allowed owners to swap key shells making it more personal.

At first, the accessories team looked at materials such as wood or leather that match the interior colors or trims, but settled (for now) for key shells that echo the exterior colors because they perfectly symbolize the KODO design.

Mazda went into painstaking detail to make sure that the key shells match the car’s colors perfectly. With that, they ended up painting the key shell the same way as the car with Soul Red Crystal and Machine Gray Metallic painted in three layers as well!

Of course, the selective key shells aren’t cheap. For “simpler” colors such as Snowflake White and Polymetal Gray, it costs 16,500 yen (P 7,756~) while the Soul Red Crystal and Machine Gray ones cost 19,800 yen (P 9,308~). Regardless, Mazda says it’s a genuine expression of their design aesthetic, and admittedly, a left-field way of accessorizing a car.

Mazda Says They Can Turn Internal Combustion Engines Carbon Neutral

Despite the automotive industry’s love for electrification, Mazda thinks that the internal combustion engine still has a lot of give—at least until the next 20 or so years. As part of its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030 long-term strategy, the Japanese carmaker is aiming to reduce its “Well-to-Wheel” emissions by 50 percent of 2010 levels by 2030, and to 90 percent by 2050.

Expecting that internal combustion engines combined with some form of electrification will still account for some 95 percent of the vehicles it produces in 2030, and that liquid fuel will remain dominant in the automotive industry until at least 2040, Mazda is considering a renewable liquid fuel essential to drastic CO2 reduction.

With that, Mazda is now researching into biofuels that are grown from microalgae. When burnt, algae biofuel only releases CO2 recently removed from the atmosphere via photosynthesis as the algae grew making cars close to, if not, carbon neutral.

Microalgae biofuel has numerous positive attributes as a renewable liquid fuel. Algae fuels can be farmed on land unsuitable for agriculture, can be grown with minimal impact on freshwater resources, can be produced using saline and wastewater, have a high flash point, and are biodegradable and relatively harmless to the environment if spilled.

Improving productivity and reducing costs are fundamental to the widespread future availability of algae biofuels. To that end, Mazda is lending its technical support to the combination of research into genome editing by Hiroshima University and plant physiology by the Tokyo Institute of Technology which is intended to lead to a breakthrough in these areas.

As part of the “Well-to-Wheel” initiative, Mazda has developed a multi-solution approach to reduce overall CO2 emissions without any compromise to driving pleasure and performance to its vehicles. Ingenious Skyactiv technologies such as i-Stop and Cylinder Deactivation are available, while there’s also the Skyactiv-X Spark Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI) petrol engine.

Mazda is also introducing EVs to regions that generate electricity from clean energy sources or restrict certain vehicle types to reduce air pollution. Their first full EV is the Mazda MX-30.

Mazda to Suspend Production in Japan, Thailand Due to Parts Shortage

In response to the global spread of COVID-19, Mazda has decided to adjust production at their production facilities globally in consideration of difficulties in parts procurement, plummeting sales in overseas markets, and the uncertainty of future markets.

Mazda plans to suspend production for 13 days and operate day-time shifts only for eight days at the Hiroshima Plant and Hofu Plant starting March 28 until April 30. Mazda intends to transfer part of the production originally scheduled for this period to the second quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2021 or later while monitoring how the situation develops. During this period, administrative operations will be undertaken as usual.

For overseas plants, Mazda de Mexico Vehicle Operation will stop production starting from March 25 while AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT)—the Philippines’s source for the BT-50 and Mazda2 will also suspend production from March 30. The stoppage will last for about 10 days.

Despite the plant shutdown, Mazda will continue its sales operation, but will abide by each respective country’s policies aimed to prevent the spread of the virus. Prevention measures such as teleworking (work from home) and sterilization at Mazda offices and dealerships are being done.

For its part, Bermaz Auto Philippines, the exclusive distributor of Mazda vehicles in the country assures its customers that they have ample stocks of new vehicles and spare parts that will last them “several months” in time for when Mazda plants in Japan and Thailand go back online.

Mazda's Rotary-Powered RX-Vision is Going Racing

The beautiful Mazda RX-Vision Concept is finally going racing, well at least virtually as it rolls out of the newest Gran Turismo game, GT Sport this May 25.

Based on the concept sportscar that wowed the world at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, the RX-Vision GT-3 Concept features a 562-horsepower rotary engine, a curb weight of just 1,265 kilograms, and a front-to-rear weight distribution of 48:52.

While the preliminary sketch itself was unveiled last year, the first photos of the racer was finally released by Gran Turismo and Polyphony Digital just recently.

The RX-Vision GT-3 Concept will be used by Mazda drivers who compete in the officially FIA Gran Turismo Championships Gr.3 Class replacing the long-serving Atenza (Mazda6) race car.

It will drop in as a free update to the game.

Mazda RX-Vision GT-3 Concept

• Overall Length: 4,590 mm
• Overall Width: 2,075 mm
• Overall Height: 1,120 mm
• Wheelbase: 2,700 mm
• Front Tread: 1,720 mm
• Rear Tread: 1,760 mm
• Weight: 1,250 kg
• Front-to-Rear Weight Distribution: 48/52
• Maximum Output: 562 horsepower

Mazda Postpones Key Centennial Anniversary Event Due to COVID-19

Mazda has opted to postpone its Open Day 2020 event in light of the COVID-19 outbreak that’s affecting the world.

Part of its 100th Anniversary celebration, the Open Day 2020 was originally scheduled from May 22 to 24, 2020. Unfortunately, given the continuous rise of COVID-19 cases globally, the carmaker has opted to postpone it to this autumn at the earliest.

In a statement, Mazda says that it’s postponing the event in consideration of everyone’s safety and peace of mind of customers, and all visitors.

This year’s Open Day is the fifth time that Mazda would be holding the event, and only the second that allows people outside Hiroshima to visit the company’s offices and facilities. Last year, it attracted more than 8,000 visitors.

Mazda will issue a separate announcement as to the new dates of the Open Day 2020.

Mazda Extends Free PMS Coverage for Vehicles Covered by Yojin-3

In light of the Enhanced Community Quarantine covering the entire Luzon area, Mazda Philippines is the first car manufacturer to announce a grace period on vehicles covered by its Yojin-3 program.

Yojin-3 is a pioneering aftersales service program in the Philippines market in that it offers free Periodic Maintenance Service (parts and labor) for 3 years or 60,000 kilometers on all Mazda vehicles sold by distributor, Bermaz Auto Philippines.

Starting today, Mazda dealerships located in Luzon are implementing a 30-day grace period from the due date of the free PMS interval date after the lifting of the Enhanced Community Quarantine. Extension on the 3-year or 100,000 kilometers warranty is done on a case to case basis.

The Yojin-3 extension was made alongside the announcement that all Mazda dealerships across Luzon are temporarily closed in compliance with government directives under the Enhanced Community Quarantine until further notice.

For any concerns, Mazda Philippines is keeping its customer service email address: customer.service [at] mazda.ph active during the entire duration of the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

Mazda PH and Shell Renew Partnership

Mazda Philippines and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation announced the renewal of their long-standing partnership with a formal contract signing ceremony.

Through the four-year partnership between Mazda and Pilipinas Shell, Mazda customers who will purchase brand-new vehicles from any of the 20 Mazda dealerships nationwide (until December 31, 2023) will receive a Shell Welcome Kit.

Customers get a P 700 worth of points through the Shell Go+ card that can be used to purchase Shell fuels, lubricants, or refreshments at Shell Select. The Shell Go+ Card will likewise earn more points every time a customer buys from Shell.

“Mazda Philippines, through its dealership network, has been promoting the use of Shell fuels and lubricants to every new Mazda owner since we took over the distributorship in 2013,” shares Steven Tan, president and CEO of Mazda Philippines. “We believe Shell products work best with our highly advanced and fuel-efficient Skyactiv gasoline and diesel engines. Our technical and commercial partnership benefits the customer in the end as Shell fuels and lubricants ensure Mazda vehicles are always performing at their best and most efficient levels. We are proud to formalize again our cooperation with Pilipinas Shell as it gives value added benefits to our new car customers through this renewed relationship.”

During the formalization of the partnership, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation Country Chairman, Cesar Romero, likewise reaffirmed the oil company’s support for the Mazda brand and its customers. “We are grateful for this relationship that we have with Mazda and we wish to be part of their growth in the next three years,” Romero shared. “We believe that this is a great partnership because both Pilipinas Shell and Mazda have that strong commitment to make the customers’ journeys better every day,” he added.