There is a widely-held view inside the auto industry that Mazda may be the one bit of the Ford empire they aren’t quite sure how to approach; the only Japanese marque under blue oval control appears to be chugging along all on its lonesome.
For some time it was part of Ford Premier Auto Group together with Aston-Martin, Jaguar, Volvo and Lincoln – however it is back by itself.
Not that it appears to bother the merchandise planners: Mazda produces some interesting machines (including Ford’s only true small sports vehicle, the favorite MX5 / Miata) which, when they make use of hardware from the areas of Ford’s operations, all have the ability to have a believe is very much their very own.
Mazda acts as a ‘toe in the water’ operation for Ford in the china; once they decide how to handle the brand it might prove the important thing to becoming the earth’s biggest car maker.
