Planning for the future

At Mazda North America, well-executed product planning involves trend forecasting, market-data interpretation, and a vehicle-development program built for flexibility.

It's late afternoon on a mid-July day and Tim Barnes, Director of Product Planning and Strategy for Mazda North American Operations (MNAO), is seated across from me at a circular metallic table. We've met in a ballroom in the sprawling expanse of the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village, CA, where earlier in the morning Barnes and his colleagues debuted the 2009 Mazda6 sedan to a room filled with automotive journalists. And while the information discussed during the media presentation was mostly standard fare (engine specs, fuel economy, etc.), Barnes' contribution stood out. As he detailed the strategic positioning of the Mazda6 in the market, which outlined an aggressive plan to go after Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Nissan Altima customers, the charts and graphs streaming past on the projection screen behind him piqued my interest. Where does this data come from? And more importantly, how does the way in which Mazda analyzes and uses this data influence the development of new vehicles? As we begin to talk, Barnes is forthcoming but cautious.

“I want to start with a caveat,” he says. “I saw your list of questions and some of this information is confidential-cycle plans, planning times, you know?” As he explains this, I look to my right and smile at the two Mazda PR representatives who have accompanied Barnes to this interview.