High hopes for Mazda3

Cycle & Carriage Bintang Bhd (CCB) is set to sell 600 units of the upgraded Mazda3 next year, thanks to the warm response to the award-wining model.
Speaking before the launch of Mazda3 yesterday, managing director Steve Foster said prior to the launching, the company had already received bookings for 50 units.
The company, which currently has five dealers, planned to appoint three more, Foster said.
CCB, the distributor of Mazda, Peugeot and Mercedes-Benz marques, had targeted to sell 600 units of the face-lifted Mazda6 when it launched the model earlier this month.
Mazda3 is the new version of the Mazda 323, once the most popular Mazda model in Malaysia, and Foster said he believed the new model would be as successful as its predecessor.
Foster said Mazda3 would come in two engine variants – the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre for both the hatchback and the sedan versions, both with sequential valve timing. The 2.0-litre model has an electronic throttle to improve flexibility at low engine speeds while offering a strong top-end performance.
“We are currently offering special introductory prices from less than RM112,000 for a 1.6-litre sedan and less than RM130,000 for a 2.0-litre sedan, on-the-road without insurance,” he said.
Mazda3 is manufactured by Japan-based Mazda Motor Corp, which also produces Mazda cars in the Philippines.
Foster said throughout next year, the Mazda3 would be imported from Japan.
“We are now talking to the principal to allow us to bring them in (from the Philippines) under Afta and gain the lower-tariff advantage,” he said.
In a related development, CCB has invested RM2mil to refurbish a Mazda outlet in Ampang in a bid to bolster the Mazda brand.
It appointed Wawasan TKH Holdings Bhd’s automotive arm Clear Marque Sdn Bhd dealer to run the showroom.