Mazda reinforces its position as a luxury automotive brand

As competition intensifies and economic pressures mount, Mazda is sticking to its guns when it comes to growing market share, loyalty, and brand awareness. Last week, the Mazda Southern Africa team hosted an intimate engagement with tastemakers and the media at The Oyster Box Hotel in Durban, showcasing the brand’s core values, cars, and future plans. Responding to questions fromThe Witness, Mazda Southern Africa CEO, Bonite van der Merwe, said the South African market has, thanks to the entrance of cheap Chinese imports, become the most competitive it has ever been; however, the brand is not building vehicles to chase competitors, but to serve drivers.

Our growth ambition is grounded in what has always defined Mazda: beautifully crafted vehicles, engineered around human connection, with reliability and quality as a given — not a differentiator. “We believe that when you stay true to your purpose, competition becomes inspiration rather than concern,” she said. In recent times, the brand has been heavily marketing its vehicles as a luxury item, a move Van der Merwe says was natural.

She said the brand is guided by its Kodo, or “Soul of Motion”, design philosophy, which aims to evoke a sense of movement, as well as the principle of Jinba Ittai — the harmony between car and driver —ultimately creating an emotional connection similar to that inspired by luxury goods. “Our vehicles are crafted with meticulous attention to materials, design purity, cabin quietness, and driver-focused ergonomics. “The result is a sense of calm confidence and refined comfort that feels distinctly premium, without unnecessary excess,” Van der Merwe said. One of the best ways to establish the calibre of a brand is to find out whether it has brand loyalists.