The carmaker post a 23% rise in year-on-year sales between January and June, compared to a figure of 6.2% for the overall market (up 6.2%) of by a wide margin. The figure of 92,430 units equates to a market share of 1.3%, up one-tenth from 2013.

Strong growth was seen in most markets and was spearheaded by Portugal, Poland and Spain in percentage terms, up 128, 75 and 74% respectively during the first six months of 2014. The other major markets also saw double-digit increases, led by the UK (+27%), Germany (+22%), France (+15%) and Italy (+11%).

In terms of the models, the newly launched Mazda3 saw strong growth, with strong first half in the Netherlands (+581%), Sweden (+470%), Denmark (+291%) and Spain (+149%) along with gains of above 50% elsewhere, such as Germany and Switzerland.

‘Most markets across the region share a positive view for the balance of the year,’ said Mazda Motor Europe COO Philip Waring. ‘The growing sales reflect not only our excellent products but also our strong and vibrant dealer network, which gives us a rock-solid foundation for consistent customer satisfaction.’

The coming months also see the launches of the new Mazda2 and MX-5 roadster, which was first launched 25 years ago.