MAZDA'S importers are all set to put more than £100 million behind a campaign to speed the revitalised Japanese company to a 2% share of new car sales in Britain. The marketing initiative is expected to be approved in the next few days with the signing of a fresh five-year franchise agreement between Mazda Corporation and Mazda Cars UK Ltd.

Tunbridge Wells-based MCL Group is understood to have committed itself to annual promotional budgets of between £18million and £19million over the contract period. It will also continue to expand its operation and press ahead with plans to develop its current network of 142 dealers to 165 over the next two years.

'Mazda Corporation executives reacted in a positive way 12 months ago when we told them how we proposed to reach annual registrations of 40,000 by the year 2000,' said spokesman Peter Frater. 'But after a 30% increase to 15,347 units in the first six months, we're on target to achieve 32,000 sales this year and it now looks like we'll hit the 40,000 level 12 months earlier than we planned.'