Just about two years ago, the Cougar Ace — a cargo ship containing 4,703 Mazda — capsized while in route from Japan to Vancouver, British Columbia, Tacoma, Washington, and Port Hueneme, California. Although the majority of these vehicles were strapped down and therefore undamaged, Mazda announced in late 2006 that all vehicles onboard would be destroyed and is now fulfilling that promise.
Mazda has officially begun the arduous task of destroying 4,703 Mazda3 and CX-7 vehicles. The Japanese automaker has been bombarded with suggestions of what to do with the vehicles — from vocational school use to stunt cars — but Mazda ultimately decided that destroying the cars was best.
Although nothing appeared to be wrong with the vehicles, Mazda didn’t want the cars to reach the retail market only to find out later that the cars had been damaged in the accident — a nightmare not only for Mazda’s warranty department but also the brand’s image.
In order to ensure not a single part of the vehicle ever finds its way to the market, Mazda will first deploy the cars’ airbags, send them to the crusher and then onto the shredder.
The Cougar Ace also contained about 100 Isuzu vehicles, but there is no word on the fate of those vehicles. As Isuzu will be exiting the U.S. market soon enough, we don’t suspect anyone will make too big a fuss about a few crushed Isuzu vehicles.
