11:05 am, February 10, 2023
Mazda saw its global sales drop by more than 14 per cent over the first nine months of its fiscal year, figures out today show.
The manufacturer reported shifting 795,000 cars between April 1 and December 31, 2022. That was a 14.5 per cent decrease against the 930,000 units it sold over the same period in 2021.
However, it said European sales rose by three per cent year on year to 108,000 units.
The UK and Germany were Mazda’s biggest markets in Europe, contributing sales of 18,000 and 25,000 respectively.
Mazda said the European figures were supported by the launch of electrified models including the Mazda CX-60 PHEV and Mazda2 Hybrid.
In Mazda’s domestic market of Japan, sales during the nine months were 107,000 units – up 14 per cent year on year.
But in North America, sales over the nine-month period were down by 13 per cent to 287,000 units, while in China they were down 46 per cent to 72,000 because of the impact of production cuts and restrictions on sales activities caused by lockdowns.
For the first three-quarters of the fiscal year, Mazda reported net sales of ¥2,696.3bn (£16.9bn), up 25 per cent from the prior year, and an operating profit of ¥109.5bn (£686.5m), which was up 72 per cent.
Net income was ¥103.6bn (£649.5m). Consolidated wholesale volume was 737,000 units, up seven per cent year on year, and production volume was 809,000 units, which was a nine per cent increase on the previous year.
Because of the ongoing impact of the shortages of semiconductors and transportation vessels, Mazda has now reduced its global full-year sales volume forecast by 52,000 to 1,163,000 units.
Mazda Europe is predicted to contribute 173,000 vehicles towards that figure.
However, Mazda’s global operating profit forecast has been revised up to ¥150bn (£946m), with Mazda predicting net sales of ¥3,900bn (£24.6bn) and net income of ¥140bn (£884m) for this fiscal year.
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