Mazda to match Volkswagen quality

Top of Mazda’s agenda is interior quality. According to Peter Birtwhistle, chief designer at Mazda’s R&D centre, the Japanese car company would like to change the perceived quality of their car interiors as the recently launched Mazda2 was slated for its interior appearance.

“If you sit in a Volkswagen Polo you get a really good sense of quality,” he said.

Mazda hopes to lift its standards to VW levels, but did note that pricing would be affected.

“Using better materials of course means that prices may rise slightly and we must balance that without compromising our position in the market as a value brand,” Birtwhistle said.