In what was supposed to be the "year of the car," Ford (NYSE: F ) has gotten off to a rough start. Overall, U.S. sales were up 3% in March on the strength of the F-Series truck, but sales of Ford's passenger cars fell 7% from last year. Don't be completely discouraged: Ford's real bright spot isn't even included in those numbers.
North American sales for Mazda, which is 33%-owned by Ford, climbed an impressive 36.6%. Although truck sales declined, a sporty new lineup and strong marketing helped drive Ford's second-best selling brand to its sixth consecutive month of double-digit sales growth.
The flagship Mazda 6 sedan led the way with a 60% jump in vehicle sales, while the new sport compact Mazda 3 improved on last March's sales of the discontinued Protege by 23.6%. Sales of the Miata roadster, meanwhile, climbed 33.3%, while the brand new RX-8 -- a four-door sports car powered by Mazda's unique rotary engine -- chipped in with sales of 2,373 cars.
With its wide range of sporty cars, Japan's fifth-largest auto maker is making a push. Mazda is still smaller than Toyota (NYSE: TM ) , Nissan (Nasdaq: NSANY ) , and Honda (NYSE: HMC ) , but it's inching closer with some strong offerings and impressive marketing. The familiar "Zoom-Zoom" slogan is echoed in Mazdaspeed, an in-house, performance-tuning department that caters to enthusiasts with high-performance versions of the Mazda 6, the Miata, and the RX-8.
On Disney's (NYSE: DIS ) ESPN, the winner of Dream Job drove off in a brand new Mazda 3. A Fear Factor winner on General Electric's (NYSE: GE ) NBC took home an RX-8. There's also Mazda Rev It Up 2004, a 15-city cross-country tour where anybody can sign up and race a Mazda 3 in a time trial, while getting a showcase of Mazda's cars and Mazdaspeed performance parts. That's solid product placement.
Ford's second-best selling brand, Mazda is unique in that its Miata and rotary-powered vehicles (most recently the RX-7 and the RX-8) sport devoted followings. Through Mazda, Ford is again becoming a force among people who like to drive. Zoom zoom.
Give us your take on the Ford Motor discussion board.
Fool contributor Jeff Hwang doesn't own any of the companies mentioned in this story, but he does own a Mazda RX-8.
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