Record sales run puts Mazda in strong position for year

The success of Mazda2 has helped the UK importer to a run of six months of all-time record sales – and means 2007 will be a record year.

“With only a few days left to go before Christmas we have already exceeded our biggest ever sales year of 50,166 for 2006,” said sales director Jeremy Thomson.

Total sales in November were 3,425, led by Mazda3 but with a very strong showing from new Mazda2 with sales of 591 in November, an increase of 160 per cent on November last year with the old car. Total sales of Mazda2 are 4,820 to the end of November.

“Our growth has come through retail sales which are 10 percent higher than at the same point last year. Mazda2 retail sales exceeded Nissan Micra in November and we have very strong orders for it going into 2008,” said Thomson who is forecasting that the New Year will be another record for the company.

Mazda UK is looking at sales in excess of 55,000 in 2008 with Mazda2 accounting for all of the increase. “With the old model we were selling about 4,000 a year,” said Thomson.

“Next year we are looking at sales of between 12,000 and 15,000 helped by the arrival of a three-door version in the summer, which we have never had before.”

New Mazda6 is launched on 26th December and Thomson believes that part of the company’s success over the last few months has been because of the way the run-out of the old Mazda6 was managed.

“We planned well ahead for this and we are almost sold out of the old model,” said Thomson, adding that residual values for the car actually strengthened in its last year which is very unusual.

The Mazda6 arrival will be marked by a TV advertising campaign which breaks during the festive holiday. The estate version arrives in February and will be priced at £700 above the hatchback.

“This is a very competitive price because generally estates in this segment are about £1,000 more than the hatchback,” said Thomson.

He expects the estate to take about one-in-five Mazda6 sales. Mazda UK’s success has helped lift Mazda Europe to a record month as well. Sales were 26,200, up 13 per cent year-on-year. By the end of November, Mazda had sold 287,110 units in Europe, which is the second highest January to November volume in 16 years.