In a way I am pleased Mazda is down there. The CX-5 is one of the most common cars I have owned. (Grin)
I think there are a few factors for the low sales.
1. People only buy a car every few years so it takes a long time to change perceptions.
2. Many people buy what they have owned before or what there family owned.
3. If I believe the adds (and I do because they wouldn't spend all that money on adds that don't work.) People buy cars based on looks, being as good or better then there neighbor, and toys like WiFi. I have noticed that GM doesn't show any of there cars being driven, or moving at all. They also don't say anything at all about handling, fun, or any other mechanical things. It is all about looks, toys, and luxury.
4. People on this forum are different by virtue of being on the forum. we research cars and buy based on research.
Story. I owned 4 Peugeots. Everyone knew Peugeots were unreliable. Everyone at work, the other dealers, car guys. I checked with a couple of independent foreign car mechanics. They told me that the only major problems I was likely to see was a head gasket every 100,000 miles. I asked, "Good grief, how many 100,000 miles do I get." The answer, As many as you want. It is a wet sleeve engine. after about 500,000 you can pop in new sleeves and keep going. Research showed the model I was buying (504) was the most popular taxi cab in Africa, and second only to Mercedes in Europe Each of those cars ran over 100,000 and a couple of them needed head gaskets. That and one water pump were the only non consumables I ever put in them. But my coworkers were still convinced they were unreliable because someone had told them so. I suspect that when Peugeot first came to the US they must have been unreliable.