Mazda’s quiet transformation into a luxury automaker has nearly been completed right before our eyes. When Ford sold off its controlling stake in Mazda in 2008, it would have been easy to predict that the brand would meet a similar fate as Mitsubishi. By the time Ford had fully divested from Mazda in 2015, the company began a technical partnership with Toyota. This would appear to be a far more equitable arrangement that has allowed to Mazda to sing a new song, and build a car brand that screams quiet luxury and stealth wealth.
Personal finance guy, Dave Ramsey, says that the average American millionaire drives a pedestrian car brand like Toyota, Honda, Ford or Subaru. I speculate that this is less about money, and more about not putting a target on your back. While this may not have been the intended goal, Mazda has hit the stealth wealth nail on the head. The design language is perfectly understated. They have a timeless, elegant design without being boring or bland. It is a very difficult balance they have managed to strike. I would wager a hefty sum that Mazda will become the stealth wealth, quiet luxury car of choice in coming years.
Mazda’s growing partnership with Toyota has already yielded positive results. Mazda recently launched two new SUVs, the CX-70 and CX-90, both equipped with an inline 6-cylinder engines that they co-developed with Toyota.