Mazda Motor Shifts U.S. Port Operations to Cut Costs (Update1)
2006-10-26 20:11 (New York)


(Updates with San Diego port details in the fifth and sixth
paragraphs.)

By Alan Ohnsman
Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Mazda Motor Corp., Japan's fourth-
largest carmaker, will make San Diego the primary port for
vehicles it ships to the U.S., leaving an auto-import facility
near Los Angeles that it has used for three decades.
The automaker starting in December will import as many as
100,000 cars and light trucks a year through San Diego, Mazda
spokesman Jeremy Barnes said today. Mazda since 1978 has used
Port Hueneme, California, as its main U.S. entry point. That
lease expires Nov. 30, Barnes said.
``We do expect some reduction in costs with this change,''
he said, without elaborating. ``Using San Diego also puts us
closer to our three primary U.S. markets: Los Angeles, Orange
County and Phoenix.''
Southern California ports are the main U.S. entry point for
autos shipped from Japan and South Korea, with facilities in Los
Angeles, Long Beach, Port Hueneme and San Diego processing more
than a million vehicles a year, according to Pacific Maritime
Association data. Mazda's U.S. sales this year through September
rose 3.7 percent to 209,239 on demand for Japan-built models
such as the new CX-7 wagon and revamped Miata roadster.

Railroads May Benefit

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