I got to know that the CX 5 is not really a CKD but a SKD which means the whole car is assemble in Japan and only the fitment of wheels or sound unit or some small parts. This is basically for tax purposes. It is the same as Passat CKD. True CKD is like Honda, Toyota and possibly Nissan which are able to sell by ton loads.

Business sense speaking, it is not economical of scale to produce a car probably with 2000 - 3000 a year. Just the tooling cost itself is high.

With the major work done in Japan, i think the quality will still be there. I am not a Bermaz employee so i am writing based on the information i received.

It makes sense if if they are looking at Asia Pac, but from what i know Mazda have a bigger operation in Detroit of the East (Thailand) in JV with Ford. Investment for the CX 5 program is RM$20 mil (quoted in paultan.org).