Mazda defines itself as an upstart “challenger” brand amongst its core Japanese peers—Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. This is based not only upon its name recognition and sales, both of which are dwarfed by its competitors, but also by its location in its home market. While those brands are headquartered in a cluster around Tokyo, Mazda is located further south, in Hiroshima.
Yet while growth amongst these brands has been somewhat uneven in the American market recently—

