HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that domestic production in Japan during fiscal year 2007 has exceeded one million units. This marks Mazda’s highest domestic production volume in 15 years since 1992.

Masaharu Yamaki, senior managing executive officer in charge of production and business logistics, said, “We want to thank all of our valued customers across the globe who have supported Mazda and helped us break the previous 15 year-old production record. Producing over one million vehicles in Japan during the first year of our new mid-term plan, the Mazda Advancement Plan, is extremely significant. This achievement shows we are on track to reach the targets set out in the plan. We will strive to maintain this momentum and drive Mazda’s growth forward.”

Announced in March 2007, the Mazda Advancement Plan (MAP) includes business targets to be achieved in fiscal year 2010, namely: 1.6 million global retail sales, an operating profit over 200 billion yen, a return on sales (ROS) ratio of six percent, and a stable payout of dividends. In order to achieve these targets, Mazda will leverage its annual straight time production capacity in Japan, which is currently 996,000 units per year.

Mazda is enjoying strong sales thanks to the high acclaim its vehicles have received from media and customers around the world. The all-new Mazda2 (known as the all-new Mazda Demio in Japan) has won 36 awards globally since its launch in 2007, including the 2008 World Car of the Year and the RJC Car of the Year award in Japan. The all-new Mazda6 (Mazda Atenza) has already won awards from major automobile magazines in Finland and Germany. The all-new Mazda Atenza went on sale in Japan in January 2008 and received 4,500 orders in its first month of sales, three times the monthly sales target. The Mazda CX-9 was also chosen as the 2008 North American Truck of the Year. These awards provide further recognition of the manufacturing excellence for which Mazda is known around the world.

Mazda will continue to strive for a sustainable future while offering iconic vehicles in the best Zoom-Zoom tradition, i.e., cars that “look inviting to drive, are fun to drive, and make you want to drive them again.”