Automotive Business Magazine – Q3 2026 – Digital edition - Flipbook - Page 32
Interview
Mazda UK
Dylan Robertson speaks with Steve Tomlinson, head
of fleet operations at Mazda UK, about the Mazda6e,
building relationships and the multi-solution approach
2
026 is shaping up to be an
exciting year for Mazda. Three
new cars will be on the road
by year-end, including two
electric vehicles (EVs) and a
new generation of its most
popular model.
The brand from Hiroshima
has long had a reputation for
refusing to follow the pack, from its sixdecade love affair with the rotary engine,
to its reluctance to dive headfirst into
the EV market. It is, therefore, significant
that the brand has decided to bring both
the 6e electric saloon and CX-6e electric
SUV to market in quick succession
– products that look suspiciously
conformist on the surface.
Automotive Business Magazine sat
down with Steve
Tomlinson, head of
fleet operations at
Mazda UK about
the brand’s role
in the fleet
market, the
response to
the 6e, and
how the EV
transition is
going.
New metal
2026 sees the
return of the
Mazda 6, a car
in the once
fleet-
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AUTOMOTIVE
TIVE BUSINESS
Q2 2026
heavy small saloon market. But this time,
it will be an EV. Mazda hopes this will
ensure its popularity among UK fleets,
due to its favourable benefit-in-kind (BiK)
rate of 4%.
Mazda has had cars in the UK to show
to customers for a few months now,
ahead of it going on sale in the summer.
“We are fortunate in that we have been
able to get our hands on a number of
left-hand drive cars,” Tomlinson explains.
“My team have done an end-user tour,
taking the cars around to see some
customers that we've got longstanding
relationships with, but also with leasing
companies as well.
"Our contract hire manager is taking
the car around to see the RV guys and
the sales teams at a number of the major
leasing companies in the UK. We've also
displayed and presented the car at a
number of fleet events.
"The feedback we've had has been
overwhelmingly positive, in terms
of styling, specification, driveability,
useability. But also, they’ve been quite
surprised about the price tag, which is
around the £40,000 mark. When we've
asked the question without giving away
the information as to the price, every
single person has come up with a much
higher list price than the one that we've
put on the car.
“Clearly, there was motivation behind
that. We targeted £40,000 to avoid
premium car tax. That's now gone up
for EVs, but we felt it was still the right
thing to do to hold the price at that sub£40,000, for the Takumi model.”
Despite the positive introduction, the
fact remains that the fleet market is not
as saloon-centric as it once was. Mazda
has therefore announced the CX-6e, an
electric SUV that should arrive in the UK
by the end of 2026.
While fleets are yet to see it, the team
at Mazda has been impressed by the
car so far, Tomlinson explains: “It's a
STEVE TOMLINSON
