Jeff Guyton, Mazda Motors Europe president, told Fleet World at the unveiling of the car at the Moscow Motor Show that he believed the Mazda6 would be a hit with fleets and drivers.

He said: ‘The most important thing about the new Mazda6 is the styling – it looks great and so company car drivers will want one, just as they did when the first Mazda6 came out in 2002. That’s vital to its success because we can’t offer fleets the big discounts some of the volume players can. But on top of that, thanks to our Skyactive technology, it will have class-leading CO2 as well as high levels of performance.’

Although figures will not be released until the Paris Motor Show, the new Mazda6 is expected to offer CO2 levels of 109g/km of below from its 2.2-litre diesel engine, which will come in two states of tune of around 150 and 175bhp.

The new model is also longer and more spacious than its predecessor and can be specified with a brake energy regeneration system that gives greater fuel efficiency in urban driving, while cabin quality has been improved significantly. For the first time in a Mazda6 there is also the option of a diesel automatic, which Guyton believes will attract higher end user choosers to the brand.