Mazda

"We've been able to respond quickly because we're nimble," he told headlineauto at the Bologna motor show. "We've taken out production and cut our forecasts so that we are not pushing product into the dealerships," he said shortly after unveiling the new five-door Mazda3 which goes on sale across Europe from the middle of next year.

"We are currently revising our forecasts for the next two years but the objective is to maintain or grow our market share but at considerably reduced volumes."

Muir estimates that the total European market will be down by between 20 and 25 per cent next year, which equates to between three and four million cars. "That's a heck of a lot of cars whether you have a two per cent or a 10 per cent market share," he said.

"We're planning for the worst and hoping for the best. Markets across Europe are dropping at or above 30 per cent. Maybe 2009 won't be as severe as we've had for the last few months."

Muir said that the first of 2008 had been very good for Mazda in Europe, running ahead of revenue and profit by as much as 17 per cent over the first half of 2007. "It's all driven by new product," he said. He expects Mazda3 to sell around 100,000 units across Europe in a full year, about the same as Mazda2 and slightly more than Mazda6.

"I'm very excited about this car. The design is a good evolution of the current model and under the skin the changes make it a much sportier car to drive without losing the comfort."

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Credits: JRC