Emission cuts on Mazda 6  & Mazda 2

Fleets and company car drivers will save even more money by choosing to drive Mazda6 diesel or Mazda2 petrol models following reductions to CO₂ emission figures for these cars.

The improvements deliver lower Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) and, for company car drivers, reduced benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax on some models.

For the Mazda6, the improvements bring a CO₂ reduction on all Mazda6 2.2-litre 5-door Diesel 163ps and 180ps models – dropping from 142 to 140g/km, which means a £15 a year VED saving as models drop from Band F (£130) to Band E (£115). Meanwhile, a 5g/km CO₂ reduction (138g/km to 133g/km) on all 2.2-litre 5-door Diesel 129ps models, including the recently launched fleet-focused Mazda6 Business Line, drops them into the 19 percent BIK tax bracket (previously 20 percent) in 2011/12.

On the Mazda6 2.2-litre 5-door Diesel 129ps TS model the emissions cut delivers a BIK tax bill saving of £3.31 per month (£39.66 per year) for basic rate taxpayers and £6.61 per month (£79.32 per year) for higher rate taxpayers. The Mazda6 2.2-litre 5-door Diesel 129ps Business Line model delivers cash savings of £3.02 per month (£36.26 per year) for basic rate taxpayers and £6.04 per month (£72.52 per year) for higher rate taxpayers. The new ratings also translate into National Insurance savings for employers.

Benefits on the Mazda2 include a CO₂ reduction on manual 1.5-litre petrol engine models from 135g/km to 132g/km, placing them in the 16 percent company car BIK tax bracket (previously 17 percent) in 2011/12.

This means that Mazda2 1.5-litre 3-door Sport petrol drivers save £2.13 per month (£25.55 per year) for a basic rate taxpayer and £4.26 per month (£51.10 per year) for a higher rate taxpayer. Tax bill savings on the Mazda2 1.5-litre 5-door Sport petrol are £2.19 per month (£26.25 per year), while for the higher rate taxpayer the tax bill saving will be £4.38 per month (£52.50 per year). Again, the new ratings translate into National Insurance savings for employers. In addition, CO₂ has reduced from 119g/km to 115g/km on all 1.3-litre models, whilst the 1.5-litre automatic drops from 146g/km to 145g/km.

Steve Jelliss, Mazda Fleet and Remarketing Director, said: “At a time when corporate and personal budgets are being squeezed, Mazda customers are able to benefit from cash savings through these emission cuts.

“The Mazda range is already well-known for its style, specification and reliability, and this development further enhances our value for money credentials,” added Jelliss.