Mazda culls commercial vehicles

The CX-5 SUV, on sale in New Zealand next month, are not part of Mazda's cull. Photo / Supplied

Mazda has decided to stop development and production of commercial vehicles in the second half of the decade as it faces dwindling domestic demand, the Japanese business daily Nikkei reports.

The decision means the company will no longer develop or manufacture any of the commercial vehicles it sells, the newspaper said.

Mazda now procures trucks from Isuzu, commercial vans from Nissan, and commercial mini vehicles from Suzuki, the Nikkei reported.

Mazda's box-style and small-truck Bongo, which debuted in 1966 and has been a long-time seller, has seen sluggish demand of late as the Japanese market for commercial vehicles stagnates and competition intensifies, the newspaper said.

It's unclear whether Mazda will discontinue commercial vehicle sales outside of Japan, as well, although Mazda New Zealand spokeswoman Maria Tsao says the decision affects only Japanese domestic product.

"It's really the stuff we don't see in New Zealand," she said. "It has nothing to do with light commercials - for us in New Zealand it's business as usual."

Mazda sells its E-series light trucks and panel vans outside Japan, and makes the BT-50 pick-up truck for personal and commercial use in Thailand, Columbia, South Africa, Ecuador and Zimbabwe. The BT-50 for New Zealand is made in Thailand.

The company, which entered the car market in 1931 with the Mazda-go, a three-wheeled truck, is bracing for a group net loss of $1.4 billion for the year ending next week, the Nikkei reported.

It will continue to overhaul money-losing operations and focus resources on passenger vehicles featuring its Skyactiv technology, which centres on a highly fuel-efficient engine, the daily said.

The SkyActiv technology will find its way into every Mazda petrol and diesel vehicle and across chassis designs, starting with the Mazda CX-5 compact SUV, on sale in New Zealand next month. The CX-5 will replace the bigger CX-7 in most global markets, including New Zealand.

SkyActiv is at the centre of Mazda's aim to cut fuel consumption across its range by 30 per cent by 2015.

It believes the vast majority of vehicles will still be using internal-combustion engines in 2020 and beyond.