Mazda U.S.A hopes to sell up to 30,000 2011 Mazda5s annually

The folks at Mazda Motor Corp. are hoping to sell 20,000 to 30,000 units of the redesigned Mazda5 minivan when it hits U.S. streets in January 2011. That’s a significant increase from the 18,488 units of the current Mazda5 that the Japanese automaker sold last year (down 16 percent from 2008).

“Minivans have gotten bad press in the U.S. lately,” Thomas Pixton, Mazda’s senior managing executive officer said. “But we’re getting a generation of stylish minivans with dynamics much closer to sedans.” He said that the Mazda5’s improved fuel-economy and functional interior should help increase sales.

The new 2011 Mazda5 gets 15 percent better mileage thanks to its direct-injection gasoline engine and the company’s i-stop engine idle-stop technology.

2011 Mazda5:

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)