MAZDA'S European sales for April were up by 56%, despite total sales across the European Union falling by 6.5%, the manufacturer has reported.

Its sales figure gave Mazda a 1.5% share of the western European market for the month with total sales of 18,276, up from 11,658 in April 2002, according to the latest provisional figures from ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.

Mazda says that April was the first month of full availability for the Mazda2. The company's total sales for the first four months of the year stand at 70,184, an increase in sales of 40.3% over the first four months of last year when sales were 50,029.

In Europe, Mazda's target is for 210,000 sales this year, rising to 300,000 units in the medium term.