CEO MESSAGE

CONTINUING TO ENRICH LIVES AS TIMES CHANGE THROUGH THE EVOLUTION OF THE JOY OF DRIVING

Mazda was founded in Hiroshima, Japan in 1920, inspired by our founder Jujiro Matsuda’s aspiration to “contribute to society through the machine industry.” Our journey has unfolded alongside Hiroshima’s history, and the Challenger Spirit forged as the city rose from the ruins of war to become a world-renowned city of peace still lives on in Mazda today. We have journeyed through many challenges in our pursuit of unique value, including becoming the first in the world* to mass-produce the rotary engine, and have been supported by many customers who resonated with this journey. Since our founding, we have made it our unwavering mission to cherish peace and put smiles on the faces of more people around the world.

Amidst uncertainty and as people’s lifestyles and values become increasingly diverse, it is more important than ever that we are clear about why the Mazda Group exists and what our purpose is in society. That is why we established a corporate philosophy in 2023 as the North Star that would guide us forward. This corporate philosophy consists of three elements: our Purpose, to “Enrich life-in-motion for those we serve”; our Promise, which communicates the value we provide to customers and all other stakeholders to fulfill this Purpose; and our Values, the principles we hold fast to in everything we do.

To bring this corporate philosophy to life, we are committed to practicing Brand Value Management, the overarching management philosophy that guides every aspect of our business. Brand Value Management is a management philosophy in which we enhance brand value and, ultimately, corporate value by building long-term relationships of trust through emotional connections that are formed as customers and other stakeholders resonate with the value we offer.

As digitalization advances and people’s lifestyles and values become more diverse, we are committed to practicing Brand Value Management, starting with the customer in everything we do. By identifying and delivering value that is distinctly Mazda from the customer’s perspective, we aim to become a brand that continues to be chosen. We will continue to evolve with the times, delivering moving experiences through the Joy of Driving and continuing to create value that enriches our customers’ lives. This is what we believe it looks like to be a brand that continues to be chosen, and what we aspire to as a company.

The Joy of Driving is the essence of the Mazda brand and is about far more than simply enjoying being behind the wheel—it is the experience of being empowered to move about freely and live in a way that is true to yourself.

Safety and peace of mind are the foundation for this experience. One of our most important responsibilities as an automaker is to help realize an automotive society that offers safety and peace of mind. We are proactively utilizing advanced technologies to do exactly this and are working toward the realization of a society in which vehicles offer even greater safety and peace of mind.

Underpinning every aspect of our vehicle development—including safety and peace of mind—is our Radically Human approach. No matter how times change, it is people who use cars. By deeply understanding people and supporting innate human abilities to function at their best, we create peace of mind that leads to the Joy of Driving. I believe the Mazda commitment to thinking deeply from a human-centric perspective is the true source of our unique value.

Guided by our 2030 Vision, “To be a car-loving company that creates moving experiences through the ‘Joy of Driving,’” Mazda is continuing to move forward with our Management Policy up to 2030.

Specifically, we are advancing three strategies as an integrated whole to adapt to change while continuing to refine the elements of our business that create value distinct to Mazda: our Multi-solution Strategy, a technology strategy that enables us to respond flexibly to a wide range of customer values and regional characteristics; our Lean Asset and Partnership Strategy, which enables us to create brand value while simultaneously leveraging collaboration with partners to enhance competitiveness; and the transition to a Resilient Business Structure that will support sustainable earning power.

Our goal is to use these strategies to become more resilient and grow sustainably even in an era of profound change.

Contributing to the realization of a sustainable society is another important part of our mission at Mazda.

We are working to reduce CO₂ emissions across the entire lifecycle of our products, including production, logistics, and the supply chain. At the same time, we are researching and piloting carbon-neutral fuels derived from microalgae, CO₂ capture technologies, and other solutions as we work toward a future in which the more you drive, the more you reduce CO₂.

We cannot create this kind of value or address these social challenges alone.

That is why we place such high value on co-creation.

By working with partners to enhance competitiveness and build a more resilient supply chain, we are passing Japanese Monozukuri capabilities on to the next generation while helping grow regional employment and strengthen industrial foundations.

At Mazda, people are our most valuable asset.

We believe our people’s ingenuity and ability to envision what is possible give us the competitive strength to navigate major change and create new value.

Since 2023, Mazda has been moving forward with Blueprint, an initiative to transform our organizational culture.

I am also continuing to engage in dialogue with our employees with the aim of building an organizational culture that supports the front lines.

We will continue to challenge ourselves to create new value by combining our diverse strengths, turning them into organizational capacity to execute, and fostering a work environment where every individual can exercise their creativity.

We aspire to be a brand that gives customers a compelling reason to say, “I choose this brand because of what it stands for”—a brand that continues to be chosen by customers and wider society alike.

A company that is valued by society will be chosen by customers, inspire pride among employees, and earn the trust of its partners.

Through this virtuous cycle, we will achieve sustainable growth and enhance returns on capital, then direct the resulting gains toward investments in further value creation and shareholder returns.

As CEO, I believe it is my responsibility to use these efforts to ensure Mazda achieves sustained growth in corporate value over the medium to long term.

Amidst such profound change, we will hold firmly to our philosophy, stay flexible as we adapt and evolve, and continue to create value that is Radically Human.

Through a diverse technology lineup and by co-creating alongside our partners, we will help create a sustainable society while continuing to move people and bring excitement to everyday life.

* Source: Mazda research (as of 1967).