Jay Amestoy

Mazda Motor Corp. has recalled 215,000 Mazda3 and Mazda5 sedans because they can experience a sudden loss of power steering while the car is being driven, increasing the risk of a crash, federal safety regulators said Tuesday. Meanwhile, General Motors Co. said it was recalling about 243,000 SUVs to inspect the safety belts in the second row of seats in the vehicles. In some instances, the buckles on the seatbelts can become damaged in such a way that passengers believe they are latched in when they are not. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that it had received at least 33 complaints alleging steering problems in the 2007 to 2009 model-year Mazda vehicles.

Mazda Motor Corp. has recalled 215,000 Mazda3 and Mazda5 sedans because they can experience a sudden loss of power steering while the car is being driven, increasing the risk of a crash, federal safety regulators said Tuesday. Meanwhile, General Motors Co. said it was recalling about 243,000 SUVs to inspect the safety belts in the second row of seats in the vehicles. In some instances, the buckles on the seatbelts can become damaged in such a way that passengers believe they are latched in when they are not. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that it had received at least 33 complaints alleging steering problems in the 2007 to 2009 model-year Mazda vehicles.

Mazda Motor of America in Irvine has a brief but notable history in the United States with a string of firsts including introduction of the Miata convertible in 1990 and the decision in 1991 to purchase its trucks from Ford. But global recession has overshadowed sales and the company has slammed on the brakes. Since February it has slashed its payroll by 31% including the August layoff of its top U.S. managers.

Mazda Motor of America in Irvine has a brief but notable history in the United States with a string of firsts including introduction of the Miata convertible in 1990 and the decision in 1991 to purchase its trucks from Ford. But global recession has overshadowed sales and the company has slammed on the brakes. Since February it has slashed its payroll by 31% including the August layoff of its top U.S. managers.

Mazda Motor Corp., Japan's No. 5 auto maker, said Thursday that it will combine its U.S. planning and design division with the engineering and manufacturing division in Irvine to cut costs and speed up vehicle development. No jobs will be cut, spokesman Jay Amestoy said. Gordon Dickie, formerly Mazda's U.S. vice president of engineering, manufacturing and supply, will head the combined unit. Mazda, which makes the Miata sports car and MPV minivan, last year sold 243,708 vehicles in the U.S.

Mazda Cuts Jobs in Reorganization: Mazda Motors of America said it laid off 50 employees, including 35 at its Irvine headquarters, as part of a revamping aimed at cutting costs and making the company more competitive. Sales of the Japanese auto importer's cars and trucks--including several models produced in the United States--are off 19% for the year. Employees who were laid off were told that Friday was their last day, said Jay Amestoy, vice president of corporate relations.

Mazda Motor Corp. said it has appointed former Ford Motor Co. export director Richard N. Beattie to oversee and integrate the operations of the five Mazda subsidiaries in North America. Ford is a major Mazda stockholder and last year assumed operational control of the ailing company at the behest of its Japanese financial partners. Beattie will be headquartered at Mazda Motor of America Inc. in Irvine, the company's import and distribution arm.

After canceling plans last month for its proposed Amati luxury-car division, Mazda Motors of America has begun offering employees early retirement and voluntary severance packages to scale back its work force. The company has no firm goals for the number of employees to take advantage of the two programs or how much money it hopes to save, Mazda spokesman Jay Amestoy said Tuesday. Mazda also has no plans for layoffs if only a few employees accept the voluntary programs, Amestoy said.

Ford Motor Co.'s management takeover at Japan's Mazda Motor Corp. probably won't mean big changes for Mazda's U.S. arm in Irvine, which has just launched an aggressive campaign to recapture some of the market share it lost last year. Still, Mazda Motor America Inc., the company's import, distribution and dealer development operation, has been longing for word from Hiroshima about its place on the corporate priority list.

Advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding has laid off 15 people in its Santa Ana office, bringing employment there down to 200 from about 250 a year ago. William Hagelstein, executive vice president and managing director of Foote, Cone's Orange County operation, said the layoff eliminated some layers of middle management. "We have an obligation to ourselves, as well as our clients, to be as efficient as possible in this day and age," Hagelstein said.

Southern California charities can expect to see more Japanese corporations loosen their purse strings as the companies realize that their future prosperity may be linked to their ability to give to the communities in which they operate. "Japanese corporate donations will greatly increase in the future" as more Japanese executives learn to participate in community development, Noriyasu Hattori, president of Makita U.S.A. Inc.