It was a banner year for Mazda, as the unconventional Japanese carmaker chalked up one of the largest year-on-year gains of any volume carmaker on the European market. New registrations of Mazda passenger cars rose 18 per cent year-on-year in 2013 as the overall figure for Europe fell by 1.8 per cent – its sixth consecutive full-year decline*.
Mazda also outperformed every single individual market, in many cases by a wide margin, posting double-digit growth in three out of every four countries. The Nordic region was especially robust, with a combined 59 per cent more Mazdas sold relative to 2012; sales in Norway more than doubled. Elsewhere, the greatest strength was seen in Poland (+73 per cent), Portugal (+44 per cent), Hungary (+41 per cent), and the Czech Republic & Slovakia (+38 per cent). As for the big five European markets, Mazda hiked German sales by 11 per cent year-on-year, was up 19 per cent in the UK, 18 per cent in France, 32 per cent in Spain and 7 per cent in Italy. Mazda’s total European unit sales in 2013 topped 150,000. The company thereby raised its market share to 1.2 per cent, up two-tenths from 2012**.
The figures are above all attributable to Mazda’s exceedingly popular new model generation. European turnover of the Mazda CX-5, a compact SUV launched in 2012, grew 92 per cent year-on-year to 51,393 units, while the Mazda6 flagship introduced in early 2013 sold 32,563 times, up 71 per cent.
Challenging convention to make things better, the company has come up with a revolutionary formula for mass-market cars that make no compromises. With their KODO – Soul of Motion looks and efficient lightweight SKYACTIV Technology, new-generation Mazdas combine stunning designs and superb performance with class-leading fuel economy, safety, affordability and of course Mazda’s patented fun-to-drive character honed on the legendary MX-5 roadster.
In fact, total Mazda sales picked up steam over the course of 2013, increasing 36 per cent year-on-year* during the fourth quarter, during which they were boosted by the arrival of the all-new Mazda3. And Mazda plans to sustain a strong pace of growth through 2014 as further new-generation models arrive and market conditions in Europe as a whole continue to improve.
“We’ve had a fantastic year at Mazda in spite of the tough European market, a success that is being driven by great products,” says Mazda Motor Europe COO Philip Waring. “This momentum will continue supported by the full roll-out of the award winning Mazda3 together with the growing popularity and awareness of the whole product range.”
* Source: www.acea.be (European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association), New Passenger Car Registrations, EU + EFTA (excluding Malta)
** Source: Mazda internal figures; European totals include Turkey and non-EU Balkan countries
