Mazda Drives Sales Ahead in Europe

LEVERKUSEN, Germany, June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• Company defies trend as the overall European market hits 20-year low
• New-generation models enjoying sustained popularity

New registrations of Mazda vehicles in Europe rocketed in May, even as Europe's passenger car market as a whole continued to contract. Resisting the ongoing negative trend, Mazda posted the biggest year-on-year gain last month of any volume brand in Europe.

Mazda's car registrations rose 29.8% compared to May 2012 to 11,401 units in a European car market* that shrunk by 5.9%, hitting its lowest level since 1993. As for the year-to-date figures, 61,160 new Mazdas were registered in the first five months of 2013, 6.9% more than during the same period in 2012. In contrast, the overall figure for Europe fell 6.8%. Mazda's European market share rose to 1.2% so far in 2013, up two-tenths from the previous year.

The surge at Mazda is largely attributable to its new-generation models: the new Mazda6, the company's flagship launched in early 2013, and the Mazda CX-5, a compact SUV introduced in 2012. A look at Europe's biggest market corroborates this: whereas total new registrations in Germany** are down 8.8% so far this year, German sales of the Mazda6 and CX-5 rose 63.0% and 118% year-on-year, respectively, between January and May. For the month of May on its own, the figures were +321% and +74%. Together, these two vehicles make up around half of all Mazdas newly registered in Germany to date in 2013.

The convention-defying new generation of Mazdas features the full range of lightweight SKYACTIV technology along with the company's stunning "KODO - Soul of Motion" design. These models mark a new level of Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, Mazda's strategy to produce uncompromising vehicles that unite top-class fuel-efficiency and environmental sustainability with outstanding performance, handling and safety. The successful combination of the eye-catching KODO packaging and Jinba Ittai horse-and-rider-as-one feeling behind the wheel, as inspired by the legendary Mazda MX-5 roadster, has led to numerous awards and comparison test victories for both the CX-5 and the Mazda6.

"The European automobile market has been difficult, to put it mildly, so it's very encouraging to see our hard work bringing results," explained Phil J. Waring, Chief Operating Officer, Mazda Motor Europe. "Mazda has become profitable again, and the new SKYACTIV models in the pipeline should help us continue to boost sales and our bottom line on a sustainable basis."

* Source for European figures: ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association), New Passenger Car Registrations, EU27 + EFTA, http://www.acea.be

** Source for German figures: KBA (Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority), New Passenger Car Registrations: May 2013, http://www.kba.de

SOURCE Mazda UK