Christian Stadler, associate professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School, described BMW's performance as comparatively "healthy", pointing to how its strength in the US and China helped to compensate for weak sales in Europe.
Mazda's development engineers have achieved something elusive in the car business: They have arrived at a signature feel for their cars, in much the same way BMW's ride-and-handling boffins have dialed in a gestalt for their cars.