RX-8 To Take Fleet Market By Storm
Published: 28th August 2003
The award-winning Mazda6 has put the brand well and truly on the fleet map and the RX-8 is set to ‘zoom zoom’ through the door, with fleet chiefs predicting that the 1,600 models destined for the UK in the last quarter of this year and the 6,000 due for showrooms next year will be insufficient to meet demand. Already 75% of this year’s supply has been pre-ordered.
Graham Picken, general manager of HSBC Business Banking, which through its HSBC Vehicle Finance subsidiary has a contract hire fleet of around 80,000 units, said: ‘The Mazda RX-8 is a genuine four-seater and most coupes are not. The overall package and value for money is brilliant and it means that both for a fleet manager and the employee it is a fantastic car.
‘On the back of the Mazda6 we have supplied more Mazda cars in the first six months of this year than in the past two years and the RX-8 will continue that trend.’
Dave Wilkinson, car fleet operations manager at High Street electrical giant Comet, which operates an 1,100-strong car fleet including 150 user-chooser vehicles, said: ‘The Mazda RX-8 is a very impressive vehicle and will definitely be in demand from our user-chooser drivers.
