Last week, Mazda introduced technology innovation commitments from the boardroom to research and development to car sellers. The automaker, which had a record-breaking sales year in North America in 2024, is using artificial intelligence to move the ball forward.
Mazda will take the tack other automakers are, utilizing a mixed-flow production line that can produce multiple models side by side, regardless of powertrain, and improve flexibility to produce based on evolving model volume predictions.
The new product and powertrain strategy will see Mazda developing new engines that meet emissions regulations around the world. Additionally, new battery-electric vehicles are on the horizon. The company plans to launch a new BEV in 2027 using battery cells by Panasonic Energy Corporation.
There is a knowledge gap regarding electrified powertrains, especially BEVs, Robby DeGraff, manager of product and consumer insights at AutoPacific, told Newsweek. “Education about all aspects of electric vehicles needs to be prioritized not just via marketing efforts done by the automaker, but it’s a task equally critical by the sales avenues, whether that be big-box franchise dealers or direct-to-consumer storefronts.”
When dealership personnel know more about a product and brand, they are better able to converse with potential car buyers about it, removing one or more of the obstacles to new vehicle, accessory and warranty sales.
“Automakers (and their sales avenues/channels) need to be able to readily assist consumers as they begin the EV shopping process. Our AutoPacific research shows that while many consumers are pretty prepared, some vital information remains questionable. For example, 30 percent of consumers who intend to or would consider buying an electric vehicle do not know where their closest public charging station is. More awareness and education is needed to when it comes to number crunching, too, as 28 percent told us they need more information about the available potential $7,500 federal tax credit, and 25 percent claimed to not know anything about it (the credit),” DeGraff wrote.
Mazda is training its dealership personnel to better understand the product and brand. Carolyn Chan, head of sales and fixed operations training at Mazda, is working with a team to identify opportunities to enhance product knowledge at dealerships and deliver training solutions using e-learning provider CoSo Cloud.
“We want to make sure that we’re imparting and providing an experience that is uniquely Mazda to our dealer associates, so that they can feel a part of the family, feel a part of the brand, and then in turn, provide that excellent customer service,” Chan told Newsweek.
Chan is responsible for the training of nontechnical dealer associates, those she describes as “everyone that you interact with on the dealership side when you walk into a dealership.”
Mazda North American Operations
Before the initiative with CoSo Cloud kicked off, Mazda had a number of different training systems that weren’t “talking to each other nicely or in a way that was cohesive enough for that end learner to really be able to feel like [a part of the Mazda community],” Chan said.
Her team embarked on an ambitious endeavor to combine systems, starting in 2019. That led Mazda to have one system that controls all learning for those associates. The singular portal is easier to use, Chan pointed out, and has increased brand engagement leading to a better sense of community amongst team members.
Additionally, the company is better able to track learning growth because now users have unique login information. This also allows for a more personalized learning journey, powered by AI.
Rob Porter, head of market and business development at CoSo Cloud, explained to Newsweek that AI is assisting those learnings in the background, augmenting courses and reporting mechanisms. And, moving forward, the company plans to use AI to personalize the learning even more than it is today.
“If I happen to be a customer service rep, [the AI-led system will] go ahead and identify the content that I’ve either engaged with, been successful with, maybe even not been successful with and maybe some reinforcement in those particular areas,” Porter said.
AI examines areas of learning experiences within a role then problem-solves to find solutions to developing certain skills. In the future, AI may be able to quickly adapt learning modules to changes happening within the Mazda ecosystem, he explained.
Chan is hopeful that the AI-assisted learning will lead to more individuals having a long career at Mazda.
“We don’t dictate a career path within each individual dealership,” she said, “but I certainly hope that once we are able to see dealer associates get higher levels of training and more engaged with the brand, that they would kind of naturally be able to progress.”