11:11 am, September 10, 2013
FOLLOWING the launch of the new Mazda 3, the brand will introduce a further seven models by 2016, the company has revealed to Car Dealer Magazine at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Its predecessor was a big success, and now the all-new Mazda 3 is set to boost overall European sales, with a large percentage going to buyers in the UK.
Like the CX-5 and Mazda 6 before it, the C-segment Mazda 3 will feature the brand’s clever SKYACTIV technology and according to president and CEO of Mazda Europe, Jeff Guyton, the UK market is ‘eagerly awaiting the new model’.
Since 2004, the current Mazda 3 has achieved 98,225 sales in the UK and in the coming months, when the next-generation version reaches showrooms, Mazda expects to sell 9,000 per year.
Guyton says: ‘We have sold more than 3.5 million Mazda 3s across the globe in the last 10 years, and between now and 2016, we will be launching seven new models to follow it. By 2016, 80 per cent of the Mazda range will carry SKYACTIV technology.
Extremely important
‘The industry is up and sales in the UK also continue to strengthen. In the fleet sector, which is extremely important to us at the moment, we have seen sales of the Mazda 6 grow by double digits – they’re currently showing an increase of more than 15 per cent.’
Things are looking good from a financial point of view for Mazda too. Guyton added: ‘We have seen a significant increase in operating net profit for the first time in four years with sales up more than 20 per cent on last year to more to more than 150,000 in the European market. The UK is our second biggest market in Europe.’
