All Cars, All the Time

Mazda: Focus in USA is Crossovers Not Small Cars

I find it interesting that in the same Automotive News issue where Honda dealers are carping that they'll only get 54,000 Fits to sell, that Mazda is being quoted as being very hesitant to bring the Mazda2 to the USA.

Mazda's line is that they are a small company and have limited resources to market their products. The bigger money to be made is in crossovers and that's how Mazda sees the USA market.

My take is that it's a shame Mazda can't muster up enough resources to bring the 2 to the USA. I view small cars as a gateway for manufacturers. Get a first time buyer into your smallest offering and then keep 'em hooked when they come back to trade. Small cars do seem to be selling themselves these days, so how much would Mazda have to invest? I believe that most of the safety/emissions hurdles would be easy enough as I'm sure the vehicle was designed with them in mind.

Ford will have a 2 based vehicle for the USA in a few years, but from what I understand that will be a sedan and I just don't understand sedan versions of small cars. You need the hatch to maximize what room is available to you.