The following vehicles are now available from SG Petch Durham for extended demonstration. Ideal if you need more time or have several staff members to try them.

• Hyundai iX35
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Hyundai i40
• Mazda 6
• Nissan Juke
• Nissan Qashqai

Chris Lawson, Corporate Sales Manager, who has over 24 years in the industry dealing with large and small fleets said: “Usually smaller fleets are overlooked in favour of large operators, but SG Petch have addressed this with emphasis on the small to medium sized business”.

“We provide all aspects of vehicle funding for the business sector from fixed term finance with eventual ownership to contract hire with no depreciation or disposal risk”.

To discuss your business requirements or to arrange a test drive, call Chris Lawson on 07817 213512 or email him at chrislawson@sgpetch.com.

The new range features 16 standard models with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines with three power outputs, and for the first time the line-up will include a Mazda 3 1.6 Sport Diesel which Mazda hope will find favour with fleet operators and company car drivers alike.

The combined CO2 emissions have been cut by up to 3.5 percent depending on the model, alongside improvements in fuel consumption, which means a reduction in fuel bills and savings in benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax for company car drivers. For the fleet operators this will mean a lower Vehicle Excise Duty and National Insurance Payments.

The new 1.6 Sport Diesel and 1.6 Sport Nav Diesel will cost £19095 and £19,945 on the road which gives a 30 percent residual value at three years/60,000 miles CAP forecasting experts (December 2011). This model offers a competitive CO2 emissions of (115g/km), combined cycle fuel economy of 65.7mpg and a specification that includes a Bose audio system, 17 inch alloy wheels, side skirts and heated front seats. The CO2 figure means that the new model will fall within the lowest BIK bracket for diesel models (13%) in 2011/2012.

The upgraded Mazda 3 2.2 Sport Diesel (150ps) and £21,195 2.2 Sport Nav Diesel (185ps) each drop a company car BIK tax bracket after Mazda engineering development work.

The 150ps model now emits 139g/km – reduced from 144g/km – putting the model into the 20 percent tax bracket in 2011/12, while the 185ps model also benefits from a 5g/km emissions drop to 144g/km putting it in the 21 percent tax bracket in 2011/12.

Mazda Fleet and Remarketing Director Steve Jelliss said: “The Mazda3 has more potential in the fleet sector and the upgrade will further boost demand.

“Improvements in emissions as well as fuel economy on most models have been coupled with the addition of a new 1.6 Sport Diesel model.  This, alongside Mazda’s established core fleet strengths of excellent vehicle reliability, strong residual values and fun-to-drive characteristics, means Mazda3′s corporate appeal has been strengthened even further.”

On the road prices for the Upgraded Mazda3 range start at £14,995 for the entry-level 1.6 S and top out at £23,395 for the flagship 2.3 MPS. The range offers a choice of six trim levels – S, TS, TS², TS² Nav, Sport and Sport Nav – as well as from launch the special edition 1.6 Tamura and 1.6D Tamura.

The new upgraded range has been given a more muscular visual appeal with a revised rear bumper and new twist-spoke alloy wheel design and a new front end design. They have also used new materials and colours on the inside and improved the ease-of-use for the driver and a quieter cabin for all to enjoy.

Every upgraded Mazda 3 has been equipped with a comprehensive range of active and passive safety equipment, plus a generous standard specification, the entry level S model has also been given air-conditioning and electric front windows, plus front side and curtain airbags.

Mazda are calling the programme ‘Save it’, its designed to offer discounted repairs on cars that have been in an accident and are on the margin of being written-off by the insurance companies due to its repair value.

Usually in the winter months there is around a 20 percent rise of work for repair centres compaired to the summer months, Mazda’s UK director David Wilson-Green believes that there is a scope to drive more work through the Mazda dealer network and the 146 Mazda Approved Accident Repair Centres. He comments “Scrapping a car is hugely inconvenient for a customer and will invariably cost them money. Customers also have to wait for an insurance company to pay out and then rush to find a replacement vehicle at a time usually inconvenient to themselves”.

“While customer satisfaction and convenience is paramount, it also makes good business sense for our dealers who supply the parts for the repairs and our approved accident repair centres to do the work, it also keeps a customer in their Mazda for potential future servicing and parts sales,” added Wilson-Green.

The new scheme also means customers can relax, safe in the knowledge that their vehicle has been repaired back to manufacturer factory standards in a Mazda Approved Accident Repair Centre (MAARC), using genuine parts and repair methods.

The process will work like this.

STEP 1:  Mazda owners whose cars have been damaged but are still repairable – what the industry calls Category D cars – will be contacted by the Mazda Approved Accident Repair Centre (MAARC) to advise that their Mazda may be eligible for this programme.

STEP 2: The MAARC will estimate the cost to repair the car and assess against the value of the car so the Centre can apply to Mazda for the discount in order to save the vehicle.

STEP 3: If the car is worth saving, Mazda can decide to discount both the price of the parts and negotiate the cost of labour with the MAARC for the long-term customer benefit of keeping the car on the road.

STEP 4: The customer decides whether to have the car repaired or written-off. If they decide to have it repaired, they have the use of a courtesy car while the work is carried out, making sure that Mazda customers are always kept on the road.

The CX-5 is Mazda’s first SKYACTIV model which is pioneering a new way of building cars, this meant they had to work closely with suppliers from the beginning of the programme to the end.

Job one for the Mazda CX-5 is at the end of this year with exports beginning in early spring. The car marked a complete change in the development process for Mazda with all areas of the company working very closely together, says Tanaka.

Mazda’s CX-5 architecture has also formed the basis to Mazda’s future C and D segment cars. This means that Mazda had to decide where all the fixed engineering points had to be and where the flexible points could be. This presented engineering and design teams with their greatest challenge since both the next Mazda6 and Mazda3 will be using the same architecture but will have, for example different track widths.

The CX-5 is to launch Mazda into the SUV segment which is growing globally, this model will have a key role to play in enhancing Mazda’s brand image and in capturing Mazda 3 owners who are ready to move up.

“The ride and handling are very nice with a significant advantage over its competitors” said Tanaka who was particularly pleased with the dynamics of the CX-5. He was also pleased with the packaging and economy, making the CX-5 best in its class when it comes to emission levels, with the diesel at 119g/km and the petrol at 139g/km.

Mazda’s relationship with Donington Park also provides the Japanese brand with track time for testing its new 2012 Mazda MX-5 GT race car, which successfully competed in the Britcar Dunlop Production GTN Championship this year.

“We are absolutely delighted to be working with Mazda UK once again, after enjoying a good relationship with the brand in 2008 and 2009. We look forward to promoting the unique benefits of Mazda’s stylish product range to our wider audience in 2012″ added Gemma Toogood, Head of Commercial Sales & Marketing, Donington Park Racing Ltd.

Graeme Fudge, PR Director, Mazda UK comments “Donington Park required reliable vehicles with responsive handling, sporty styling and driving performance credentials for use on and off track, attributes which the Mazda range delivers”.

The race tracks big events in 2012 include rounds of the British Touring Car Championship and both World Superbike and British Superbike championship weekends.

These improvements deliver lower Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), and for company car drivers, reduces benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax on some models.

The Mazda 2 has had a CO2 reduction on there 1.5 manual Petrol engine models, its gone from 135g/km to 132gkm which places the model in the 16 percent company car BIK tax bracket (previously 17 percent) in 2011/2012. This also means that the Mazda 2 1.5 litre 3-door Sport petrol drivers save £2.13 per month (£25.55 per year) for a basic rate taxpayer and £4.26 per month (£51.10) per year for a higher tax payer.

Tax bill savings on the Mazda 2 1.5 litre 5-door  Petrol Sport models are £2.19 per month (£26.25 per year), while for the higher rate taxpayer the tax bill saving will be £4.38 per month (£52.50 per year). Also CO2 emissions have been reduced from 119g/km to 115g/km on all 1.3 litre models while the 1.5 automatic version drops from 146g/km to 145g/km.

“At a time when corporate and personal budgets are being squeezed, Mazda customers are able to benefit from cash savings through these emission cuts” comments Steve Jelliss, Mazda Fleet and Remarketing Director.

“The Mazda range is already well known for its style, specification and reliability, and this development further enhances our value for money credentials” adds Jelliss.

The Mazda 6 improvements bring the CO2 reduction on all Mazda 6 2.2 litre 5-door Diesel 163ps and 180ps models dropping from 142g/km to 140g/km which will give a £15 per year VED saving as models drop from Band F (£130) to Band E (£115).  Also a 5g/km CO2 reduction (138g/km to 133g/km) on all 2.2 litre 5-door Diesel 129ps models, includes the recently launched fleet-focused Mazda 6 Business Line, this drops them into the 19 percent BIK tax bracket (previously 20 percent) in 2011/2012.

Improvements to the Mazda 6 2.2-litre 5-door Diesel 129ps TS model means the emissions cut deliver BIK tax bill saving of £3.31 per month (£39.66) per year for basic rate taxpayers and £6.61 per month (£79.32 per year) for higher rate tax payers. The Mazda6 2.2 litre 5-door Diesel 129ps Business Line model delivers cash savings of £3.02 per month (£36.26 per year) for basic rate tax payers and £6.04 per month (£72.52 per year) for higher rate taxpayers.

All of the new ratings will translate into National Insurance savings for employers.

This concept car contains Mazda’s design theme of ‘KODO Soul of Motion’ it also includes Mazda’s breakthrough SKYACTIV Technology. The TAKERI show’s Mazda’s future direction for there new-generation of mid-sized saloon.

Mazda’s SKYACTIV petrol and diesel engines have much more in common than previous generation engines, they are now even assembled on the same line. The production challenges and innovative solutions, as Susumu Niinai, the man in charge of the SKYACTIV petrol and diesel engines, explains. “There is common architecture so now we have just one line from casting to assembly for both engines” he says. The engines share the same high-pressure die casting while standard machining points make assembly easier.

“The customer doesn’t care if it’s a l.4-litre or 2.0-litre engine so long as the econmy is good, “says Niinai, adding that the three criteria for the SKYACTIV engines were pricing, performance and economy. What’s more, it’s a policy that seems to have worked.

There are other benefits to Mazda’s clean sheet approach. By sticking to its policy that simple is best, it has avoided the downsizing route of other manufacturers which adds complexity due to turbocharging and in some cases supercharging.

“Intial media feedback on early drives of Mazda’s CX-5 has been very positive, ” says Niinai. He is especially encouraged about the combination of the diesel engine and automatic transmission, something that has been missing from Mazda’s powertrain line-up.

“We are very confident: it is quiet and accelerates well, “highlights Niinai. Expectations are high for the diesel-automatic to be a popular choice in the UK and across Europe due to the historic demand for diesels.

This breakthrough technology has been developed to create a lightweight design that produces more from less. An ultra-high compression ratio is a central feature of the engines design and it’s 14:0:1 ratio (world’s highest in a mass production model) has previously only been seen in high performance racing engines.

Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G 1.3 petrol engine has significantly less internal friction and delivers more torque with better fuel economy and lower emissions. To resolve the challenges associated with high compression, such as ‘knocking’ an unavoidable issue with conventional high-compression petrol engines- the SKYACTIV-G engine features a number of new technologies, such as special piston cavities that are designed to support ideal combustion, and special multi-hole injectors that enable extremely precise control of injecting fuel into the cyclinder.

The engine itself is also equipped with direct-injection, this award winning technology, smaller capcity 1.3 litre engine exhibits outstanding efficiency, especially under high load at low rpm. It employs many of the innovative technologies developed by Mazda for the larger capacity 2-litre SKYACTIV -G engine which is making its debut in the forthcoming CX-5. The CX-5, Mazda’s compact SUV is the first of Mazda’s vehicles to include the award winning technology which offers outstanding reductions in both fuel  consumption and CO2 emissions.

The latest ‘Pay no VAT’ offer is only available on certain models while stocks last, and the offer must end on the 31st March 2012. Mazda are also offering low-cost 6.9% APR Representative finance on Personal Contract Purchase (no minium deposit) up to 36 months for all diesel models.

Sales Director, Peter Allibon at Mazda UK comments “The ‘Pay no VAT’ campaign we are launching for diesel Mazda6 models makes a really compelling offer to consumers, saving them up to £4,000. We are confident that 0% VAT together with 0% APR finance will attract large numbers of newcomers to the Mazda brand. It will also reward existing Mazda owners, as many of them will be able to benefit from ‘zero cost to change’ when trading in their current cars for a brand new Mazda6. Customers should visit their local Mazda dealer soon to check which Mazda6 models will be available under this programme”.

The Mazda 6 diesel models deliver a great performance (0-62mph in 8.7 to 10.9 sec), competitive fuel economy of (53.3 to 55.4mpg combined cycle) and low emissions of (133 to 141g/km). These models qualify for bands E and F for road fund licenses.