Mazda looking for ‘the next big thing’ for its U.S. lineup

With the huge success of the Mazda CX-9 crossover, Mazda is looking to produce other exclusive models for its North American lineup. The CX-9, which recently won Motor Trend’s 2008 SUV of the year, was the company’s first vehicle planned under Mazda’s Annual  Advancement Activity program, which focuses on developing cars for specific markets.

“The CX-9 was originally supposed to be a minivan,” Robert Davis, head of product development and quality for Mazda North American Operations, told Automotive News.

However, after studying the trends in the U.S. Mazda went the crossover route introducing the production version of the CX-9 within just 18 months of the concept debut.

“Now we’re looking for the next big thing,” O’Sullivan says.

Mazda has sold 19,630 units of the CX-9 since its launch, already passing the target for the year. Mazda has sold more than 3,000 CX-9s in October.

 

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

[tags]Cars, Car, Auto, Automobile, Vehicles, Technology, Auto News, News, Automotive, Mazda[/tags]