While The Auto Market Softens Niche Player Mazda Powers On

US New vehicle sales rose a scant 1 percent in July prompting concerns that the market would flatten before next year’s projected peak.

Significantly, small but indomitable Mazda managed to push ahead with a 2.8 percent increase for the month, with total sales up 6.9 percent year-to-date. In the auto world where big players sell nearly 9 million vehicles worldwide, Mazda’s 1.5 million unit sales and 2 percent market are modest.

However, a very strong design language, balanced attention to driver passion and passenger convenience, comfort and overall reliability, combined to give Mazda a marked advantage.

The Mazda Autos Leading The Way

The popular Mazda CX-5 compact SUV crossover gained 13.7 percent in sales over last July, while the CX-9 , the largest SUV in the Mazda stable, scored a whopping 41 percent monthly sales increase.

A recent test drive of the $31,000 to $44,000 CX-9 scored high marks for an elegant exterior… breaking the stolid mold of the conventional SUV profile. Inside the three row seating is practical and comfortable for 7 passengers.

New for 2016 the Mazda CX-9 boasts a new turbocharged Skyactiv-G 2.5-liter four cylinder engine which compensates for less sheer power than an earlier V6, by shedding 132-lbs yielding a competitive 23 mpg combined city and highway mileage.