Mazda chairman and chief executive Akira Marumoto will step down in June if shareholders approve his successor. The automaker announced on Friday that it would appoint Masahiro Moro to the post.
Shareholders will need to approve the proposed new management structure before Moro assumes his new role. He is currently director and general manager of the automaker. Moro has been with Mazda for 40 years and most recently led North American operations. Marumoto became CEO in 2018 and will become a senior adviser when he steps down.
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According to Nikkei Asia, Moro is the first CEO in recent years to not have an engineering or manufacturing background. However, he was successful in rebuilding Mazda’s US operations, a market the company wants to expand. It will focus on modernizing its dealer network to increase the number of sales per outlet in the country, which accounts for around 30% of its global sales.
The automaker recently launched two new crossovers intended to conquer the American market. The CX-50 is a rugged model with a square face and all the plastic covering needed to tackle the suburbs. Above is the new CX-90 which serves as the automaker’s premium offering. It’s rear-wheel-drive with a 3.3-liter inline-six engine that develops 340 horsepower under the hood. Mazda has pushed its products upmarket, and the CX-90 exemplifies those efforts.
Moro will also lead the company in its transition to building battery electric vehicles (BEVs). At present, the company is still in Phase 1 of its medium-term management plan, which calls for the automaker to use internal combustion engines, hybrids, plug-ins and BEVs in vehicles. The company will move to Phase 2 in 2025, introducing a new hybrid system alongside new BEVs.
Mazda will enter the third phase of the plan in 2028, which will be the year the company begins a large-scale launch of electric vehicles. Mazda’s efforts will be based on a new evolutionary architecture, which should equip several models.
The company faces an unknown future like others in the industry, but Mazda’s status as a small player makes it particularly vulnerable. Unlike other automakers, it hasn’t committed to going all-electric by the end of the decade. It’s not a cheap transition for automakers.
