Mazda considering India return

Mazda Motor Corp., the Japanese car manufacturer is aiming to re-enter the Indian auto market. It is a well know fact that India is a developing nation, and the International car makers see a huge potential here. So as Mazda, which is planning to make the country an important production and export hub for its vehicles.

Speaking to the media, Masamichi Kogai, Mazda president and CEO, said, "We have done a lot of research, analyzing the market and so on, as we look into what models would be possible if we go back. It is also possible that we could use it as an export base".

Due to the global financial crisis, Mazda will re-join the Indian car market after a 4 years of long gap. Moreover, the increasing demand for vehicles in International markets has put more pressure on the company, as most of its exports are done from Japan itself. Under its latest three-year business plan, Mazda is trying hard to achieve a global sales of 1.7 million vehicles, compared to 1.33 million vehicles world-wide for the current business year.

The final decision on returning to India will be made after the completion of its three year business plan. Moreover, the company is also busy in launching its new production plant in Mexico and ensuring sales growth in North America and other major markets. The Japanese auto maker is certainly looking to do better in India than last time. The company earlier developed trucks in the country at a joint venture, Swaraj Mazda Ltd., but discontinued production in March 2007 after failing to capture the market share. This time, it is expected that the Japanese car maker will launch a wider range of vehicles in India.