Tomlinson told us that Mazda’s fleet business had returned to pre-pandemic levels this year.
He said: “We’re probably doing a bit more volume, because the CX-60 is a plug-in hybrid. CX-60 has done well for us, MX-30 REV and BEV versions as well. There are the obvious limitations with range for the BEV versions, but it has still performed very well in fleet – because not everyone does 300 miles a day! For commuters doing less than 100 miles a day, it is perfect and meets their needs very well.
“For a period, it was the fleet side of the business that was holding things together. That’s something we’ve not been able to say in the past – we are very much a retail-focussed brand that has always been supply constrained, therefore we’ve always looked to maximise the revenue from the available product.
“We don’t chase expensive, high-cost volume opportunities really. We tend to sell to people who choose Mazda – it has been an interesting four-years, really.”
Tomlinson told us that he saw the incoming CX-80 SUV (pictured) as a significant fleet contributor in 2025.
He said: “Where we have cars where they are an attractive proposition for a company car driver, then it’s sometime closer to a 60:40 split between fleet and retail. I fully expect the same to apply with the CX-80, certainly for the PHEV versions, which will be a stronger mix in fleet than retail. Insight from the CX-60 tells us that.
“The majority of fleet CX-80’s will be the plug-in hybrid version, although there’s maybe a personal contract hire opportunity for the diesel. In terms of typical company car drivers, then they’re going to be choosing the PHEV over the diesel every day of the week, I’d imagine. That’s certainly what we’ve found with the CX-60. Quite possibly 80:20 in favour of the PHEV, or maybe even stronger than that.
With the CX-80’s choice of seating options, we asked Tomlinson if he thought there was a private hire fleet option?
He said: “I wouldn’t say no to anything to be honest, as things stand, we don’t have a taxi programme. I’m sure that if we had chauffeurs interested, we would be open to selling them some cars. I wouldn’t rule out any opportunity – it’s not something we’ve targeted or thought about, but maybe it is an option for us.
“I think primarily, it will be for executives who need the extra flexibility of six-, or seven-seats, depending on the seating combination they choose. Or a family of four, that like the extra practicality – because the seats do fold.
“If it fits within the grade structure of the company, and they’re happy paying the BIK that’s associated with it – I’m sure it will appeal as much as a CX-60, but with the extra flexibility over and above that car.”
