Mazda pulling out of luxury cars: report

Japanese automaker Mazda Motor Corp. is dropping its Millenia luxury model to concentrate on small and mid-size cars and minivans. Company spokesman Katsumi Yoshitake declined to comment.

Millenia sales have lagged in Japan, where they are produced, totalling just 1,300 last year. Millenia sales in the US totalled 18,000 vehicles last year. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun said the decision to drop the Millenia is in line with the global strategy of Ford Motor Co., based in Dearborn, Michigan, which owns 33 per cent of Mazda.

Mazda’s overall sales have rebounded lately on the success of recent models such as the Rx-8 Sportscar, Demio Subcompact, sold as the Mazda 2 in Europe, and Atenza Sedan, sold as the Mazda 6 in the US.