Mazda investing 5,000 Million Baht to established xEVs manufacturing and electrified B-SUV with an annual capacity of 100,000 units
Mazda investing 5,000 Million Baht to established xEVs manufacturing and electrified B-SUV with an annual capacity of 100,000 units, targeting to drive business with Customer-Centric approach
February 17, 2025 – Mazda announced its historic business direction in Thailand to generate trust among customers, dealers and business partners. Led by Mr. Masahiro Moro, the president & CEO of Mazda Motor Corporation and Mr. Thee Permpongpanth, the president & CEO of Mazda Sales Thailand, conveying the most significant vision of the decade to move forward toward a major transformation and sustainable future. The press conference was held under the theme “The future, Crafted by the Joy of Driving” to promote a vision of delivering the latest products and technologies to bring joy of driving and to meet customers’ need, following the Multi-solution technology approach. A plan to introduce 5 new vehicle models to the Thai market within 3 years was declared. As Mazda trusted in Thailand's economic system and potential, it also made an announcement to make additional investment of over THB 5,000 million Baht to establish Thailand as a hub for electrified vehicles or xEVs, leading to the transition to fully electric vehicles in the future. It aimed to produce 100,000 electrified compact SUVs annually to be sold domestically and exported worldwide.
Mr. Masahiro Moro, the president & CEO of Mazda Motor Corporation said, “No matter how complex or difficult the challenges may be, Mazda remains committed to our commitment to develop excellent product and innovation to deliver Joy of driving and enrich life-in-motion for those we serve, because this is our brand's purpose. Mazda was born in Hiroshima, the city the fosters peace, therefore, we would like to develop products and technologies that delight, bring smiles, and enrich lives of people worldwide. This is the foundation of our product development and business operation even though we are in the transition period to electrification.”
Overview of Mazda global towards electrification era with Multi-solution approach and Intentional Follower strategy
An overview of Mazda globally, by 2030, our goal is to equipped all vehicles with some form of electrification, including an ICE with electrification, with BEVs accounting for 25-40% of our global sales. During the transition period to electrification, we are advancing a Muli-solution strategy, and we positioned ourselves as an Intentional Follower to closely observe market trends, listen to customers voices to offer optimal electrification solutions. By 2030, we believe that 100% of our Mazda’s global sales will be electrified. Nevertheless, Mazda is in the transition period to electrification with our EVs roadmap that will occur in three phases. Phase 1 is the preparation of electrification technologies. Phase 2 is the transition towards electrification, and phase 3 is the full-scale electrification.
Under the Multi-solution approach, we will offer a variety of electrification options, including MHEVs (Mild Hybrid EVs), HEVs (Hybrid EVs), PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid EVs), BEVs (Battery EVs) R-EVs (Rotary EVs) and Carbon-Neutral Fuels to offer a variety of product and meet customer’s different needs. We believe that this approach will help reducing overall CO2 emissions as quickly as possible.
xEV roadmap in Thailand
For the Thai market, one of the main market of Mazda, we realize a rapid acceleration in EVs adoption and shifts in customer demand. We are accelerating the plan to introduce the EVs in Thailand which aligns with Mazda’s three-phase approach. During phase 2, we plan to introduce new BEV, PHEV and HEV during 2025-2027 in Thailand. Starting with the All-New BEV Mazda6e in this year. This model is an electrified product of our long-standing partnership in China.
Establish Thailand as a production hub for electrified compact SUV with an annual capacity of 100,000 units
Mr. Masahiro Moro, the president & CEO of Mazda Motor Corporation said, “Mazda has a long history and strong business foundation in Thailand for over 70 years. Not only establishing our Mazda Sales (Thailand) and the dealer network. We have developed the great supply chain assets including AutoAlliance (AAT) founded in 1995 for producing passenger and commercial cars, and the Mazda Powertrain Manufacturing Thailand (MPMT) founded in 2015, as the engine assembly and machining factory. The two factories are the foundation supporting Thailand to be a manufacturing hub for producing Mazda cars and parts for domestic sales and exporting to international markets. Today, Mazda is ready to move forward, we will invest additional 5,000 million Baht to establish Thailand as an electrified B-SUV manufacturing hub with a capacity of 100,000 units. This investment will focus on vehicle assembly, engine production, transmission manufacturing, and local battery sourcing. This is a significant starting point for further investment of Mazda’s EVs production in Thailand and a crucial step towards sustainability.”
Additionally, Mazda Motor Corporation will transfer advanced technology and knowledge to manufacturing operations in Thailand. This includes upskilling local workers to ensure high-quality production standards and building a solid foundation for xEV product manufacturing in the near future.
Mr. Thee Permpongpanth, the president & CEO of Mazda Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd. said about the Mazda’s business direction in Thailand, “For Thailand, Mazda has a determination to make a cultural transformation in more tangible way to achieve success, following the Management Policy comprises of dealers, employees and the most important part is customers. All of the upcoming changes are based on the fundamental needs of the customers (Customer Centric). The 3 followings strategies are the changes that will happen at Mazda.
First Strategy: “Reforming corporate culture with people”
- Reforming our culture with the goal of becoming an Agile and Insight-Driven Organization, one that is agile and resilience to drive the business with in-depth data. At present, the Millennials or Generation Y (1981-1996) make up 70% of our workforce. This group of people is a Tech-Savvy, Highly Educated, Adaptable, Purpose-Driven, Creative and Multi-tasking. We will utilize the strengths and dynamics of Millennials to collaborate with Gen-X and Gen-Z to deliver meaningful experiences to our customers.
- To support the cultural transformation, we are introducing “Career @ Mazda”—a program designed to enhance employee engagement, develop talent, and foster a deeper connection to the brand among our team members and dealers.
- These changes will directly benefit our customers through the “Mazda Signature Services” initiative. This program embodies Mazda’s three unique values—“Radically Human,” “Challenger Spirit,” and “Omotenashi”—ensuring that these principles are reflected in every customer interaction across all touchpoints in the journey.
Second Strategy: “Introduce Interactive & Personalized Service with Data Intelligence”
Starting from understanding customer’s needs to enhance service efficiency, engagement, and communication with customers through in-dept data, we are investing in platforms like VOF of “Voice of Fans,” a system designed to capture and analyze customer feedback in real-time. By turning this feedback into actionable data, we can continuously refine our services and ensure timely responses to customer inquiries on the digital platform and via our employees, ultimately maximizing satisfaction.
Additionally, we are building a robust technology infrastructure, including a data warehouse that provides a comprehensive view of our customer journeys. Tools like Data Warehouse and Single Customer View (SCV360) and social listening will enable us to gain real-time insights and enhance the experiences we offer, ensuring they resonate deeply with our customers.
Third strategy: “Focuses on creating seamless customer experiences, whether online or offline”
For online interactions, we are redefining the Mazda website, transforming it into ‘Mazda NEXTperience Hub.’ This enhanced platform is designed to offer greater convenience and a more intuitive experience for customers exploring our brand, products, and technologies including news and services. Whether they wish to book a test drive or schedule an appointment, the new platform will streamline these processes, making them simple and seamless.
In addition, we have developed the ‘Mazda SkyJourney’, a comprehensive standardized operating platform used by all Mazda dealers. This system is designed to ensure a unified workflow and meet the highest standard to provide an effortless and convenient experience for customers.
For offline, we will introduce ‘Mazda BASICS,’ a new guideline designed to unify dealer operations. Mazda BASICS is dealer manual that is deeply rooted in Mazda’s philosophy and values, aligning with our commitment to a human-centric philosophy and the spirit of ‘Omotenashi’—the Japanese art of thoughtful hospitality. These values will be reflected in how we develop and operate our dealer network across Thailand.
Furthermore, in order to ensure the efficient operation of Mazda in Thailand and align with future business plans, Mazda has the following approaches in other areas of operation:
DEALER NETWORK OPTIMIZATION
At present, in Bangkok area and perimeters, we now have 19 strategically positioned showrooms, capable of meeting the needs of over 250,000 service jobs annually or over 20,000 cars monthly, which is enough to serve the demand of our customers. For upcountry, with our 65 dealers, we are building on this strong foundation to further enhance accessibility. We’re assigning designated dealers to proactively support customers within their new Primary Market Area (PMA). This approach enables us to expand coverage and bring services closer to customers. Currently, we are capable of delivering up to 450,000 service jobs annually or 37,000 cars monthly. For nationwide view, we are currently have more than 250,000 customers in our Units-in-operation (UIO), our 84 showrooms, as shown on the screen, is strategically positioned to serve customers across the country effectively.
Moreover, through the implementation of Mazda BASICS, we are elevating operational standards across all dealerships. This initiative will empower our dealers to deliver exceptional service, ensuring the highest quality of support in both sales and after-sales services.
BRAND BUILDING STRATEGY
Mazda has a long history and strong business foundation in Thailand for over 70 years. We drive the business with the brand purpose, which is to enrich life-in-motion for those we serve. This is because we believe that the “Joy of Driving” naturally leads to the “Joy of Living” and it is a part of the Mazda ownership experience. For Mazda, ‘joy’ is not just about a fleeting smile; it is something much deeper—a state of being that comes from within, providing a sense of meaning and fulfillment in life. Mazda's philosophy is about creating emotional value, rooted in the spirit of understanding humanity and inspired by ‘Omotenashi,’ the thoughtful Japanese hospitality philosophy.
From today onwards, we will bring the “Joy Drives Lives”; the new brand philosophy to reform customer experience, creating new Customer Journey model and enhance customer experience at every touchpoint. More importantly, we will take this moment as a pivotal opportunity for us to embark on a business transformation in Thailand by focusing on customers. The goal of this transformation is simple yet powerful: to put our customers at the center of everything we do to ensure that every interaction with Mazda delivers lasting value and joy.
PRODUCT INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY IN THAILAND
Mazda is driving its business with the Multi-solution technology approach. We will introduce 5 new electrified models during 2025-20227 to meet the different needs of customers. The new model includes 2 BEV, 1 PHEV and 2 HEV. The first model that will be launched is the New BEV Mazda6e.
MANUFACTURING STRATEGY
Mazda will utilize our manufacturing plants in Thailand; the AAT and MPMT in a maximum approach to enhance the competitiveness and strengthen Thailand as a key manufacturing hub for Mazda’s compact SUV; for both domestic sales and exports to international markets. The production facilities and the product quality are world class. This is the solid foundation that has made Thailand a perfect starting point to transform to electrification era in ASEAN and will be a key strategic manufacturing hub for xEVs in the future.
“All is Mazda’s historic transformation that will happen with Mazda globally. Especially for the Thai market where Mazda has announced to move forward with its full capacity to establish Thailand as a manufacturing hub for producing and exporting products to deliver value to all stakeholders, employees, dealers, and especially the Thai customers because customers are the center of Mazda’s business. Therefore, we are determined to deliver valuable and excellent experience to our customers. We will proceed alongside building a strong relationship with all stakeholders to enrich life for those we serve while ensuring that the Mazda brand grows sustainably, and simultaneously elevating Thailand's economy and society.” Mr. Thee added.
