Mazda chalked up its fourth straight year of double-digit growth in Europe, selling almost 240,000 vehicles in 2016, a 12 per cent increase over 2015.

The company’s SUVs remained customer favourites: the Mazda CX-5 was again the most popular model in the region, followed by the smaller Mazda CX-3. Sales of the CX-3 and Mazda MX-5 roadster more than doubled last year relative to 2015.

Portugal posted the highest growth in 2016 among the national markets, with an 80 per cent year-on-year upsurge, while sales in Italy rose 53 per cent. Ireland recorded a 35 per cent hike thanks to demand for the Mazda3 compact and Mazda6 flagship and Belgium a 26 per cent increase distributed across the product range.

Elsewhere, growth was around or above 20 per cent in the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Germany recorded an almost nine per cent increase, and the UK a 2.4 per cent rise, outpacing the markets in both instances.

“When I contemplate four consecutive years of strong growth, I think above all of the CX-5. This was the vehicle that kicked off the current generation of award-winning Mazdas featuring SKYACTIV Technology and KODO designs. It soon became our number one seller, and still is despite being the oldest model generation in our line-up,” said Martijn ten Brink, vice president sales and customer service at Mazda Motor Europe.

Mazda began the European rollout of the 2017 Mazda6 and 2017 Mazda3 in fall, and the new Mazda MX-5 RF will arrive shortly. Most new models and upgrades feature standard G-Vectoring Control (GVC), a new system developed in-house at Mazda. GVC dynamically optimises wheel load and with it road grip for smoother g-force transitions, which translate into added comfort and less fatigue as well as better handling and a safer journey. The technology aims to evolve the Jinba-Ittai nature of Mazda models, where the car behaves like an extension of the driver, to embrace all occupants.

Gasan Zammit Motors Ltd, local representative of Mazda, has a portfolio of other brands, namely Ford, Honda, Isuzu, Volvo and Yamaha.

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