Mazda’s leading corporate franchise dealer Norton Way Mazda in Letchworth has taken over 200 advanced orders for the CX-5.

Customer deliveries of the Mazda CX-5 started this month and the Japanese brand believes it is attracting user-chooser company car drivers for the first time due to its Skyactiv technology.

Richard Siney, Norton Way Mazda operations director, said: “The arrival of Skyactiv technology will kick-start a new wave of fleet operator and company car driver interest in the brand.”

“Most cars supplied and orders taken to date have been funded via contract hire. Monthly rental rates are very competitive and as the CX-5 has extraordinary CO2 and MPG figures versus the competition, business and personal requirements are met.

“Demonstrator to conversion rate is incredibly high and it means that we are recording the largest advanced order bank of any Mazda car to date. This is likely to increase further with future sixth generation Mazda’s such as the new Mazda6, which also features the full suite of Skyactiv technologies.”

Mazda dealers will welcome the interest generated by the CX-5 as overall Mazda sales were down by 11.03% year-to-date as of August with 17,761 units sold so far.

Prices for the 18-strong Mazda CX-5 range start from £21,395 for the 2.0-litre SE-L Skyactiv-G 163bhp petrol and rise to £28,995 for the flagship 2.2-litre Skyactiv-D 173bhp diesel Sport Nav Auto all-wheel drive (AWD).

Siney said most orders were two-wheel drive but the top spec models were typically being chosen with four-wheel drive.

This year Norton Way Mazda, which is owned by Japanese investment company Marubeni Auto, anticipates supplying 800-900 cars into the corporate sector.

Siney said: “As the advanced guard of company car drivers take delivery of CX-5, interest in the model will dramatically increase. All orders taken to date represent incremental business as user-choosers switch from other brands.

“The snowball effect from the deliveries of CX-5 to company car drivers will be huge and we believe that each one we deliver will result in a further two, three and four orders being placed, as well as further interest in future models featuring Skyactiv technology which Mazda plans to bring to market.”