NEW MAZDA SPONSORED SURVEY FINDS NEARLY HALF OF CAR-SHARING AMERICAN COUPLES HAVE MONTHLY VEHICLE DISAGREEMENTS

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May 21, 2024, 12:17 ET

Key Survey Data Points

One-in-four Americans consider themselves and their partner car-incompatible
50% said they frequently have to readjust their car's seat positions, mirrors, seatbacks and stereo volume
Mazda partnered with expert LMFT, Elizabeth Earnshaw, to share advice on how to address car-incompatibility conflict resolution and how features in the all-new 2025 CX-70 can help ease these disagreements

IRVINE, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is revealing what could be driving arguments with couples when it comes to their vehicles. While infidelity and financials are frequently cited causes for riffs in relationships, a new culprit is creating turmoil in garages across the country: sharing a vehicle. A recent survey of 2,000 married or cohabiting couples, fielded online by Talker Research on behalf of Mazda, found surprising facts about what couples argue about when it comes to sharing a vehicle.

The survey found that nearly half (45%) of married or cohabiting couples admit they argue over a shared vehicle monthly. Some of the items that participants cited as topics that they often argued about when it comes to sharing a vehicle are the need to frequently have to readjust seat positions (62%), mirrors (55%), seatbacks (51%) and stereo volume (50%) after their partner uses the vehicle. With this in mind, the 2025 CX-70, Mazda's all-new two-row mid-size crossover SUV, was thoughtfully designed to bring harmony to the driving experience and to relationships across the country, through new technologies such as its available Driver Personalization System.

The Driver Personalization System uses the vehicle's internal camera to scan facial features and converts them into numeric information creating a driver profile. The system then uses the driver profile to automatically restore over 250 personalized driver settings to their desired positions such as seat position, mirror position, driving display and stereo settings. This means that the next time the driver gets ready to hit the road after their spouse last drove the vehicle, all of their preferred settings will be adjusted with no extra effort on their part. The driver profile is secured locally on the vehicle only and is not subject to remote access. Saved driver profiles can be deleted at any time.

The Driver Personalization System within the CX-70 can help you focus on the things more important in life. In fact, 21% of those surveyed would reward their spouse for properly readjusting vehicle settings by taking them out on a romantic dinner date.

To address car-incompatibility issues, one in four Americans with long-term partners would completely clean the car once a week to avoid arguments about their shared vehicle.

In order to provide additional help for partners to feel less car-incompatible, Mazda is partnering with Elizabeth Earnshaw, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, founder of A Better Life Therapy, author of "I Want This To Work" and the upcoming "Till Stress Do Us Part" and influencer. Earnshaw, LMFT has developed tips for couples to address car-incompatibility while highlighting how features of the Mazda CX-70 can help mitigate these arguments.

"Many times in my sessions, I see arguments around vehicles causing deeper problems with couples in their marriages," said Earnshaw. "Clear communication and understanding of your partner's wants and needs is important to a healthy relationship and the Driver Personalization System within the Mazda CX-70 can help alleviate relationship pain points."

Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT tips for dealing with car-incompatibility:

Understand your mental load: Couples should take time to sit down with their partner to make a list of all of the things that have to be remembered in a day in order to manage their relationship, home and car. Explore who tends to be responsible for the bulk of it. Discuss together whether this feels fair or if things need to be redistributed and work to redistribute as necessary.
Manage your stress: Too much stress makes it difficult to relate to others, even the people we love the most. To manage stress, partners should prevent the small stressors as much as they can, learn to self soothe by doing things like deep breathing and muscle relaxation and work together to solve big problems. When dealing with stress around a vehicle, make sure to take the time for deep breathing before addressing the issue.
Interdependent Relationship: Even though partners share their car, they still want to be able to be themselves. Interdependent Relationships are the gold star and means that as a couple, partners can integrate who they are as a unit and who they are as unique individuals. Couples who have the ability to make space for time together and time apart tend to be the happiest. Work together to understand each other's needs for personal time and regularly schedule time to spend together and apart for relationship balance.
Practice Active Listening: Couples get stuck arguing about their differences in preference, especially with their vehicles, when they focus on who is right and who is wrong when they should be practicing active listening. Partners can practice active listening by putting their own agenda to the side so you can truly hear and understand their partners viewpoint. If they catch themselves starting to drift towards other thoughts, bring their attention back to what their partner is saying. After they've finished talking, summarize what they shared and then they should ask if they've missed anything before providing solutions or sharing their own point of view.

With its inspiring, yet sophisticated design with thoughtful cargo solutions paired with the latest technology and conveniences, couples can expect that the Mazda CX-70 will deliver peace and help you focus less on the little things, like adjusting settings, and more on the important points of life with your partner.

To learn more about the all-new Mazda CX-70 visit: www.mazdausa.com/vehicles/cx-70

About Mazda North American Operations
Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Colombia through approximately 795 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario; operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City; and operations in Colombia are managed by Mazda de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.

Follow @MazdaUSA on social media: Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and Threads.

About Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT
Over the last decade, Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT has become one of today's most trusted relationship teachers. Elizabeth is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Fellow of The American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy. She founded A Better Life Therapy, where her team serves thousands of couples a year and is the creator of the Instagram Account @lizlistens where she shares relatable relationship advice. In addition to making couples therapy more accessible, she is the author of "I Want This To Work". Elizabeth often contributes to publications like The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post.

*Survey Methodology
Survey was conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Mazda from Apr. 9 to Apr. 15, 2024, with a panel of 2,000 married or cohabitating Americans who have been in a relationship for at least five years and share a vehicle.

SOURCE Mazda North American Operations