Are You Listing? Mazda Is! (2008: Updated and Enhanced)

4/29/08 Update:

So...What happened to all those cars? The WSJ rings in with the final answer: all 4,703 shiny new Mazdas were destroyed in a spectacular and expensive "disassembly line." Mazda didn't want to sell the cars to anyone due to the risks that it may encounter a lawsuit. Mazda's insurer was insistent that salvaged parts didn't line Mazda's coat pockets. In the end $100 million dollars worth of Mazda's were sliced, diced and smashed to smithereens. No detail was left to chance: all airbags were exploded, alloy wheels sliced, cd players smashed and precious metals from catalytic converters watched by armed guards. One detail that I found quite sad: the cars are taken from the ill fated freighter and driven to their slaughter.

At the end of the day, the tiny remaining shards of the once proud Mazda's were again loaded back onto a boat headed to Asia...More than likely to become cars once more.

Full WSJ article can be found by clicking here.

Original 7/28/06 Post:

As you may know the automobile carrier Cougar Ace is listing off the Alaskan coast with 4,700 Mazdas bound for such exotic ports as Vancouver, British Columbia, Tacoma, Washington, and Port Hueneme near Ventura, California. More than half the cars on board are Mazda 3 models and another quarter of the cars are CX7's (to twist Mazda's advertising, I bet they never saw that coming). The boat doesn't seem to be sinking, but there is now a visible sheen in the water indicating that it may be leaking fuel oil. Of course Mazda is fully insured so if the cars are handed over to a salvage company, it will receive compensation. The real losers will be the dealers and customers who are waiting to take delivery. I don't imagine that this type of info would show up on a CarFax report. Back in 2002 the cargo ship Tricolor sank in the English Channel with over 2,800 BMW, Volvo and Saab vehicles (all cars had to be completely destroyed). The Tricolor was one of the biggest wrecks to ever be removed. You can read more about the salvage operation by clicking here.

Update: On a sad note, a naval architect who was part of a four man salvage team lost his life on the Cougar Ace. The team was leaving the boat when the man fell and was knocked unconscious. The salvage company feels that the best way to correct the list is to transfer the ship's ballast water. The survey was able to determine that at least some of the cargo is still secure and in place. Update article can be found here.