Saturday February 19, 2011

Bermaz aims to sell over 5,000 Mazda cars this year

By EUGENE MAHALINGAM

eugenicz@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Bermaz Motor Sdn Bhd, the official distributor of Mazda cars in Malaysia, expects its vehicle sales to exceed 5,000 units in 2011 as it will be offering completely-knocked-down (CKD) models from this year.

Bermaz Motor chief executive offer Datuk Ben Yeoh said the company had invested RM15mil in a CKD programme and will start offering a CKD version of the new Mazda3.

"By investing in a CKD programme, we can sell the vehicles at competitive prices that will allow us to compete (more effectively) against other Japanese brands," he said at a media briefing yesterday.

Yeoh said the Mazda3 began rolling out of the production line last month at the Inokom assembly plant in Kedah, where production is expected to be 3,000 units a year.

He added that the Mazda3, which would be available in 1.6-litre and 2-litre variants, will be launched next month at its Mazda Motor Show which would be held at the 1-Utama Shopping Centre from March 2 to 6.

The price of the Mazda3 will be revealed at the launch. Yeoh said Bermaz sold 4,300 Mazda vehicles last year, adding that the (Mazda) brand was ranked 12th (in 2010) in terms of total passenger car makes.

"Bermaz acquired the Mazda distribution rights from Cycle & Carriage Bintang Bhd in 2008 and our (sales) numbers have been increasing on a yearly basis," said Yeoh.

He, however, declined to reveal specifically how many units Bermaz expected to sell this year.

"It's not ethical to disclose how many units we hope to sell. (It's) best we keep the numbers to ourselves."

He also said Bermaz had plans to introduce other CKD models, but did not go into specifics.

"We hope to offer other CKD models, which is in line with the Malaysian NAP (National Automotive Policy)," Yeoh said.