Mazda boosts U.S. sales goal for 2024

LAS VEGAS — Mazda told a dealer make meeting Sunday it had set a 2024 sales goal of 450,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2024.

Tom Donnelly, CEO of Mazda North American Operations, confirmed to Automotive News after the NADA Show meeting that the 450,000-vehicle figure "sounds about right." 

The target appears to be an increase from what Mazda initially planned for the year. Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro in a Dec. 6, 2023, interview  estimated the company's potential 2024 U.S. sales at 400,000 vehicles.

David Hodges, chairman of the Mazda National Dealer Advisory Council, said he felt Mazda U.S. dealers could generate those 450,000 sales, calling past performance the best predictor of future results.

Mazda sold 363,354 vehicles in 2023, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center and Mazda. Mazda called it a record amount.

"We've been breaking records the last couple years, and with the new product coming with CX-70, with support that Mazda is showing the brand, we certainly think we can achieve those goals," said Hodges, who participated in a joint interview with Donnelly after the meeting.

Mazda on Jan. 30 announced the midsize five-seat 2025 CX-70 crossover, which can be purchased with either a hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain. Donnelly said it will go on sale in the spring and represented a new segment for Mazda.

"We're excited about what it represents. It's a new segment for us, it's a new customer profile," Donnelly said. "It'll be introduced with both a plug-in hybrid version as well as a mild hybrid, so we think it's positioned well for the market today."