The made-for-Thailand Mazda Protege 323 G-Force, currently being shipped in from the Philippines, is named after a popular local all-woman band, and targeted at 19 to 22-year old university students, said David Grakul, managing director of Mazda Sales (Thailand).
The 1.6 litre sports sedan, to be launched soon will be backed by "four to six weeks of intensive advertising and special events at local universities," he said.
The company is offering just 60 of the G-Force models, which are based on its existing GLX model, but with extra equipment including leather seats. "What we've found in Thailand is that people like to have something different from the normal model," Grakul said.
The G-Force is expected to be the first of up to three special vehicle promotions this year. The car will compete in the compact segment - which accounts for 50 per cent of the passenger car market in Thailand - against the likes of Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Sunny, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.
The carmaker is simultaneously aiming to increase its total sales to 14,000 units from last year's 8,227, which amounted to a 1.6 per cent share of the market.
In an industry where product is everything, new products, product extensions and availability of existing ranges unsurprisingly heads the four-pronged marketing strategy, followed by a comprehensive communications strategy, enhanced distribution system and quality after sales service.
Grakul said the company will invest in brand communications - via TVCs, print and point-of-sales materials - based on the Zoom-Zoom concept, developed by Mazda's American agency Doner, and which will permeate the entire Mazda range. It captures the love of motion experienced as a child, and has a strong sports car focus.