Despite the national government’s various economic stimulus packages, economic indicators do not support strong and sustainable economic growth. We are projecting Japanese vehicle industry sales of 6 million units, up 2% from the prior year. As for the rest of the world, economic performance should remain strong in the United States and Europe and support continuing high vehicle industry sale.
In this intensely competitive market environment, Mazda will strive to increase market share through new product introduction and further strengthening of customer satisfaction and its brand image. Vehicle cost reductions and further improvements in the financial performance of domestic dealers and subsidiaries will partially offset the impact of a continuing strong yen and non-recurring restructuring gains in the prior year.