Simon Monks: international corporate sales.

Mazda Motor Europe is expanding its pan-European fleet focus as the manufacturer looks to win cross-market corporate sales and increase business-sector penetration in a string of individual countries.

Simon Monks, who has more than 12 years experience in fleet and aftersales in the UK and across Europe, has joined Mazda's European fleet operations team as manager, international corporate sales. ModernSelling.com understands that a second international corporate sales manager will be appointed shortly.

Monks began his fleet industry career with Nissan Motor GB in 1998 before moving to Toyota GB in 2000 and Brussels-based Toyota Motors Europe in 2005. During that time he was European key account manager responsible for major leasing company business and end-user relationships, and also aftersales country manager for Germany, Switzerland and export markets. He returned briefly to Toyota GB in 2009 as direct marketing manager before joining Mazda Motor Europe.

In the financial year ending 31 March, 2010, Mazda Motor Europe sold 239,000 vehicles in Europe out of global sales of 1.193 million. However, fleet sales accounted for less than 15% of European volumes.
That means around half of all Mazda's European fleet sales are in the UK and the Netherlands, where the company has seen its established corporate focus pay dividends with year-on-year rises in volumes to around 20,000 units thanks to a strong focus on both the leasing sector and end-user blue-chip fleets. The success in winning corporate sales business in these markets means that this strategy is being used as the template for Mazda's European fleet development.

Strategy

At the core of the strategy is a comprehensive model range headed by the Mazda6 and Mazda3 and also including the Mazda2, Mazda5, CX-7 and iconic MX-5, which has ‘won numerous fleet industry awards for its desirability, reliability, strong total cost of ownership figures and, in many cases, class-leading residual values’.

Monks, who reports to director, European fleet operations, James Hopkins, explains the strategy: ‘Across Europe we are working to raise awareness of the desirability and attractiveness of Mazda in the eyes of company-car drivers, while making fleet decision-makers aware of the competitiveness of vehicle total cost of ownership figures and residual values versus rival models. Mazda has a strong brand image in a number of countries but particularly Austria and Switzerland, and we must capitalise on that and encourage fleet managers and company-car drivers to experience our complete model range.’

He adds: ‘A combination of a comprehensive and dynamic vehicle line-up, featuring sports styling, high specification, a range of performance engines with low emissions as well as a powerful cost-of-ownership package has been successful in securing fleet business. We believe that message can be replicated across Europe as we take the brand to an increasing number of leasing companies and international fleets.’

Green issues

Many multi-national companies are compiling company-car policies based around vehicle CO2 data even in countries such as Germany where, unlike Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK, there is no direct link between the motoring tax regime and emissions.

Monks says: ‘Delivering desirable company cars with first-class CO2 figures is important because many international companies are taking the view that while being eco-friendly means being “green”, the euro is also “green”, as the lower a car's emissions the better its fuel-efficiency, which will deliver financial savings.’

Mazda Motor Europe currently enjoys partnerships with a number of pan-European vehicle leasing and fleet management companies including ALD Automotive, Arval, ING Car Lease and LeasePlan. Included among the manufacturer's end-user fleet clients are Bosch, GE and Siemens.

James Hopkins: one Mazda.

Multiple markets

While the main European fleet focus is in the core markets of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK; Mazda Motor Europe also currently supplies vehicles to fleets in a number of other countries including Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland.

The European Fleet Operations department secures new international business from its base in Leverkusen, Germany. Fleet success is also being won at a national level by dedicated fleet departments located in Mazda's key European markets.

Hopkins is bullish: ‘The fact that we are currently co-ordinating a tender that will see vehicles supplied into 24 different European markets underlines our capability.’

Think globally, act locally

The European's team philosophy is to ‘think globally and act locally' with tenders responded to and contracts managed centrally, but vehicles supplied at a national level with each country's fleet department forming a personal relationship at a local level.

Crucially, virtually all of Mazda's national sales companies are subsidiaries of Mazda Motor Europe and not run by independent companies, which is the route taken by many rival manufacturers.

Hopkins says: ‘That is a major advantage when we are co-ordinating pan-European fleet arrangements. We are one Mazda working for the benefit of each of our corporate customers.’

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