Mazda is expecting a year of significant growth in fleet sales with strong performance from new products and a new strategy to target smaller fleets.

Peter Allibon, Mazda fleet and remarketing director, said the brand should finish the first quarter of the fiscal year with fleet sales up 36% on 2009/10.

Speaking at The Greener Company Car in Action 2010 event at Millbrook, Allibon told Fleet News: “We sold 9,000 cars to fleets during the last fiscal year and we’re anticipating an increase of 4,000 units this year.”

He said the majority of growth would be in end user fleets, with little attributed to short cycle rental and Motability.

“We had a lull in availability of the Mazda6 as the pre-facellift model ran out and the revised model came in, but have been able to deliver models since April, while the Mazda3 is also having a very good year.

“The 1.6D version is taking about two thirds of sales to end user and contract hire. The previous version wasn’t that strong in terms of fleet sales, but we’ve seen big improvements with the current model.”

Mazda has also just launched a strategy to target sub-50 fleet operators through a outsourced field team working with dealers.