In our line of work, it’s always a pleasure meeting industry bosses who are always game to engage with their customers. Because that means these executives are approachable whenever we have something to ask that’s work-related. And when we talk about transparency, no one does it better than Mazda Philippines president Steven Tan. This guy is so open that he regularly replies to people on social media where his brand is concerned.
Admittedly one of the most admired automakers out there when it comes to product desirability, Mazda has a steady presence in our market. Its cars are not perceived as mass-market, and there is some premium attached to its logo. This perception, no doubt, is the result of how the distributor has handled its business and marketing. And at the helm of it all is a perceptive Malaysian industry veteran who is always interested in what the public thinks of and says about his company and its offerings.
Recently, we asked our readers to shoot Steven any question that’s related to his job. Here are the questions he answered in the above video interview:
1. What makes Mazda unique? – J. Martin Revita (0:09)
2. What key points do you look at when marketing Mazda in the Philippines? – Adrian Richton Co (0:52)
3. What, for you, is the best Mazda car ever made? – Karl Alejandro Resurreccion (2:01)
4. Is Mazda reviving the rotary engine? – Gem Dionisio (3:04)
5. When will our market get the Skyactiv-X engine? – Jerome Tresvalles (3:37)
6. Do you plan to offer manual transmission for some of your models, like the 6 Wagon? – Daniel Reyes (4:30)
7. How long before we see the rear-wheel-drive Mazda 6 in the Philippines? – Joseph Paolo Estabillo (5:29)
8. Do you see the MX-5 (or Miata) continuing into a fifth generation? Or is the current model the last one? – JM de Leon (5:43)
9. How about a first-gen Miata restoration program for the Philippines? – Paul Angelo (6:11)
10. Why don’t we have a turbocharged Mazda 3 in our market? – Marc Gimena (7:10)
11. Any plans of bringing in the Mazda 3 AWD turbo? – Paolo Sy (7:14)
12. Will you bring in diesel versions of the 3 and the CX-3? – John Wesley Lotho Chiok (7:39)
13. Don’t you think Mazda needs a twin model of the Isuzu Mu-X in the same way that the BT-50 is the counterpart of the D-Max? – Francis Velasco (9:34)
14. When will we get the all-new BT-50? – Karl Soriano (10:40)
15. How is Mazda able to offer free three-year PMS while the others cannot? – John Allan Paran (10:53)
16. Would you be interested in sponsoring a formal online racing competition? – Oliver Aquino (12:04)
17. Will Mazda have a one-make race series in the Philippines? – Miguel Ledesma (12:39)
18. What leadership and management principles do you adhere to? – Eric Ayrton Soriano (13:10)
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