Mazda strengthens its position in the UK market

Mazda has further strengthened its position in the shrinking UK market by making a record?breaking start to 2009 with best-ever passenger car market share for January and February combined at 2.7 percent. In fact, strong demand for models across Mazda’s range resulted in the brand’s highest?ever share of the retail market, at 3.4 percent during January and February.

The momentum gathered pace during February when Mazda recorded the highest monthly share of retail sales ever achieved by the brand at 6.0 percent – a huge increase over the previous best figure of 3.5 percent for February 2008.

Total Mazda sales during February – including retail and fleet – also reached a new peak of 3.7 percent, which was not only the brand’s best-ever February figure but also beat the highest previous share of 2.9 percent for any month in the company’s history.

Mazda’s achievement bucks the industry downturn, which saw total sales for the first two months of the year drop by over 28 percent, compared with the start of 2008. The Japanese brand’s positive start to the year continues the trend it began during 2008, when it recorded its best-ever market share, despite the difficult trading conditions. While the total market fell by 22 percent in February, compared to the same month last year, Mazda sales rose by 31 percent compared to February 2008.

Sales Director Mark Cameron commented: “In recent months we have seen a reappraisal by motorists on where they should spend their money, resulting in a shift away from some premium brands. However, while they are seeking better value, these customers still want something stylish and distinctive, without compromising on the key aspects of quality, reliability and driving enjoyment.

“There are still plenty of customers out there willing and able to buy new cars, but these people are placing much more focus on exactly what they can get for their money – and this is where the attributes of the core models in Mazda’s range have been attracting increased attention.

“In particular, sales of the Mazda3 in February were up by 87 percent compared with the same month last year, while the Mazda2 increased by 57 percent, the Mazda5 rose by 21 percent and the Mazda6 was up by 13 percent.

“With such a volatile economy it is difficult to predict future trends, but this extremely positive start to 2009 does bode well for Mazda, particularly in view of the very significant new models that are on the way. We have a new, cleaner and more powerful 2.2?litre diesel version of the Mazda6, which is extremely relevant to company car drivers, as well as an upgraded Mazda MX-5 on sale from April and an all-new Mazda3 range, which hits showrooms in May.

“The current Mazda3 is already our biggest-selling model and we expect significant success with the new range, especially as more customers seek to downsize to reduce their running costs.

“Mazda could not be better-placed to strengthen its position in the UK market, for it has a model line-up that is wholly relevant to current customer requirements and we have a strong and highly?motivated dealer network providing levels of service that newcomers to the brand might previously have thought they would only find with premium brands.”