with the 3 suffering badly in sales terms from reports of poor reliability of diesel-engined variants over the last 15 years.

It is true that overall Mazda UK sales have declined for several years but what evidence do you have for that claim? The recent drop in 3 sales is partly because the CX-30 derivative has taken a chunk of its market.

Diesel cars have only ever been significant in Europe and their sales have plummeted across the board thanks to emission regulations and urban low emission zones. Hardly surprising that Mazda should drop diesels, especially as the X engine is supposed to offer the advantages of a diesel while running on petrol. I am not sure the first generation X lives up to their hopes so perhaps it will be overtaken by EV and hybrid versions.

Sales of the Mazda3 have been dropping significantly since the gen-2 car arrived in 2009. Mazda sales in the UK were:

2019 - 33,300

2014 - 37,700

2012 - 26,200

2011 - 31,200

2010 - 45,450

2006 - 49,600

Sources: SMMT, Car Magazine, MotorTrader

Yes, there was a significant dip during the financial crisis of 2008 - 2012, but sales have never recovered to the highs of the 2005-6 era.

I sadly see few gen-4 Mazda3s on the road nowadays, many less 2s than the gen-2 car - most of the latest generations are actually CX-5s and 6s. Far less MX-5s about than 15-20 years ago.

The Mazda3 has been on sale for at least 6 months longer than the CX-30, and by my own observations, very few have been sold, compared to the CX-5 - at least in my neck of the woods, which has 3-4 dealerships within 25 miles or so, if I recall.

Even when counting the gen-3 Mazda3, I haven't seen that many around. Far more earlier generation models than the latest two - and by some margin too.

In my view, the above sales figures bear this out. Whilst the rest of Europe have not apparently experienced such severe drop-offs, it could be down to a greater market presence in Eastern Europe when those nations became full EU members, rather than sales in the likes of France, Germany and Spain staying healthy.

It is also notable that North American sales have been very good, and even Down Under where sales have dropped 25%+ since 2016 they are still well over double the UK's at 85,400 in 2019.

Even factoring in the Economic crisis of 2008-12, I think the long term decline/non-recovery to 2006 levels in UK sales is down to a significant loss of confidence in the brand because of both the diesel engine problems and, in my view, patchy and often a poor dealership experience - bad advice in selling diesel-engined cars to people whose driving pattern doesn't support it, knowing the engine issues, and poor after-sales care of said issues and more generally.

I am not doing this for malicious reasons - after all, I've owned a Mazda car from new for nearly 15 years now and have been very pleased with it. Mazda were lucky that their non-rotary petrol-engined models have been far more reliable, as I'm sure more owners would desert them if they too had the problems of the diesel cars.

To me, their problem now is that, even forgetting current global events, Mazda have significantly jacked up prices which still selling - in the UK at least - the rather insipid 2.0 SA-G petrol angined cars and put a decent premium on the 2.0 SA-X ones.

I also believe that because the SA-X does not give a signifiant bump in mpg and performance at the same time, the benefits compared to the SA-G aren't as great. I'd put good money on a similar power-output diesel getting far better mpg than the SA-X when its full performance is used, because the engine design goes back to standard injection in that mode. What is needed, in my view, is a 2.5L variant to give the cars some real pep without the need to thrash it - sort of like the VAG 1.4TSI 150PS variant had.

Admitedly, the SA-X is a gen-1 engine design, so hopefully this will improve with the next one. Whether we get that really depends on how the hybrid and EV programme goes.

I personally feel that it will take Mazda UK a LONG time to recover their credibility, and that's assuming their dealers significantly improve their post-sales customer care - something I have not seen much evidence of over the last decade through being a member of this and other forums, including for the Mazda3.

And yet they can not only design the MX-5 back in the late 80s, but improve it and keep it bang up to date 30+ years on.

Great little car, but sales (pre-COVID) are apparatently far lower than for previous generations - not because it's a bad car (far from it), but because it isn't anywhere near as affordable any more, an issue I think applies across the range.

For the last time as we are boring everyone else, BUT

MX-5 convertible, bottom of the range, on the road Mazda list prices as before:
June 2009 (126ps) £16345 > (2015 prices) £18040
July 2019 (132ps) £19495 > (2015 prices) £17375

I rest my case for the defence of Mazda.

You have to wonder what lies between the ears of some of the people who make decisions at Mazda.

I think part of their problem is being a relatively small manufacturer on the current global scale. They cannot compete directly with the majors for mass market sales so they are forever trying to find a niche. For a few years it was sporty ("zoom zoom"), now they seem to be trying to move up market with a more quality feel.

They also seem to be more driven by engineers than other car companies which may explain (not necessarily justify) some of their decisions like the rotary and X engines or the reluctance to downsize to tiny turbos.

One downside of not going the small capacity turbo route is that the current Mazdas have comparatively long bonnets to (presumably) accommodate their larger engines compared to the TSI type rivals, which is presumably why they don't compare so well in terms of rear seat and boot space to their rivals or are longer (fastback).

The upside is that they should last longer - though it's unlikely British driver will notice, given most of us don't do the starship mileages of those in (say) North America, etc.

In my view, Mazda will only succeed in going upmarket if they bring up the customer care at their dealerships and national arms - they have to demonstrate an up-market ownership experience, not just styling and price. Lexus do that by highly reliable cars

Using a Mazda dealership often is like being at a Ford or Vauxhall dealership - hit and miss, as many of our fellow Mazda3 forum members have told us. They just got stuffed Down Under by the authorities (watch John Cadogan's YT videos) after being caught (several years of doing this) of really bad post-sales customer care.

Believe me when I say that really want them to do well - I wouldn't have owned a Mazda3 (and I've used my local dealer throughout for all work on the car) for so long had I thought they were rubbish.

I just wish they'd listen to Mazda car owners and learn from their ownership experiences more often, and implemented changes - some to the lineup (too limited in the UK) / cars, but especially the dealers/Mazda UK as regards customer care. If they are not careful, they will soon be supplanted by the likes of Hyundai/KIA - who have been improving immensely on all fronts for the last 15+ years.