.

.

Web autointell.com

April 20, 2005
.
This Week:

• Chevrolet Aveo: An Exciting New Choice in the Small Car Segment

• New Ford Focus Glows At AUTO SHANGHAI 2005

• The All-New BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon: Dynamic, Elegant, Practical

• The new Mercedes-Benz B-Class: The Compact Sports Tourer

• First Thousand Solstices Ordered In Minutes

• New Porsche Prototype Racing Program Announced for North America

• Sales of the Jeep® Grand Cherokee Surpass Three Million Units in North America Since the Vehicle's Smashing Debut in 1992

• Mazda Motor Europe: Fiscal Year, First Quarter Calendar Year Sales Strong

• The New BMW HP2

• Changan Automotive, Ford, Mazda Sign Joint Venture Contract For New Engine Plant In Nanjing

© 1998 - 2005 Copyright &
Disclaimer
Automotive Intelligence,
www.autointell.com
All Rights Reserved .
For questions please contact
editor@autointell.net

All markets contributed to these excellent FY results, with numerous markets achieving double-digit growth or better. Russia led the way with over 1000 percent growth over the last FY. In Greece sales were up 45 percent, in Italy sales rose by 34 percent, in Spain 28 percent and in France 23 percent. Excellent FY results were also achieved in Denmark with sales up 18 percent, in the UK by 16 percent, in Portugal 10 percent and Austria (including South East European markets) by 2 percent compared to the last FY. Strong sales during the first quarter of the current calendar year also contributed to these results, with 71,569 units sold and double-digit sales increases in 7 countries.

In March, four markets achieved double or triple-digit growth. Russia set a record for single month volume, with sales up 219 percent over last March and a projected market share of 3.8 percent. March was Russia's 27th consecutive month of double-digit growth or better. News was also good in Italy and Spain for Mazda, with both markets setting March records for volume. In the Austrian export markets (Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria, Macedonia) sales were up by a total of 30 percent, also a March record.

Other markets earning special mention for their March results include Greece, where sales rose by 25 percent, the 24th consecutive month of double-digit growth for the Mazda brand there. Sales were also brisk in France, up 9 percent and in the UK, with sales up 8 percent over last March. Volume in the UK was outstanding and represented nearly a third of Mazda Motor Europe's total volume for the month. In Germany, March sales represented 27 percent of all sales in Europe as Mazda achieved a projected market share of 2.3 percent.

Mazda3 had its best month since launch in March, with 12,048 units sold. This result tops its predecessor's (Mazda 323) best single month for volume by well over 400 units and translates into a projected segment share of 3.2 percent. Mazda's B-Series pickup continued to sell well last month, with volume up 24 percent compared to last March. Mazda MX-5 captured 8 percent and Mazda RX-8 11 percent of the sports non-premium segment, giving Mazda 19 percent of this segment in March.

(April 13, 2005)