Mazda is confident of selling a record number of vehicles in the UK this year, despite the credit crunch and low levels of consumer confidence.

In 2007, the manufacturer sold a record 51,489 vehicles in the UK, and fleet and remarketing director James Hopkins is bullish about this year.

Speaking at the British International Motor Show, Mr Hopkins said: “In the first six months of this year, Mazda was the second fastest growing retail brand in the UK and 2008 will be a record year.

“On the fleet side, volume has held up well and we have not had to do any ‘silly’ fleet deals simply to shift cars.”

The manufacturer has been helped by having new models in two core market sectors – the 2 supermini and the 6 upper-medium model.

The 2 sold around 5,000 units in 2007 (its launch year) but the firm expects this figure to reach 12,000 by the end of 2008.

Mr Hopkins added: “We have seen growth among user-choosers and job-need drivers.

“We have targeted the classic fleet channels and this has paid dividends.”