Available through Mazda Contract Hire, the £199+VAT deal offers a £10 per month improvement in monthly contract hire rates, compared with the final quarter of last year, and is available to all business users until 31st March 2014.

The carmaker adds that the deal has come about thanks to a significant residual value enhancement. In the last two months residual value forecasters at CAP Automotive have given the Mazda6, which was launched 12 months ago, an average three percentage point uplift to 34% across the range.

The deal means that on a standard industry payment profile of 6-0-35, the Mazda6 Saloon 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D 150PS SE is available for £199+VAT per month on a 10,000 miles per year, non-maintained package.

Other sample prices on similar terms include:

Mazda6 Saloon 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D 150PS SE-L at £209+VAT

Mazda6 Saloon 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D 150PS Sport at £249+VAT

Mazda6 Tourer 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D 150PS SE at £209+VAT

Mazda6 Tourer 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D 150PS SE-L at £219+VAT

Mazda6 Tourer 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D 150PS Sport at £259+VAT.

Mazda head of fleet Steve Tomlinson said: ‘Irrespective of which Mazda6 derivative businesses choose through Mazda Contract Hire they will benefit from an extremely competitive monthly rental.

‘These improvements further strengthen Mazda6's position at the forefront of the C/D segment in regard to contract hire rentals and this can only build on the sales momentum we are experiencing on the car, up 280% year on year, and deliver increased showroom traffic for our dealer network.

Tomlinson also points out that, unlike some rival models, there is no lengthy lead time for Mazda6 models, with dealers able to access a plentiful supply of stock.

Tomlinson said: ‘Model waiting times can be a major issue for fleet managers and company car drivers. However, our production schedule and stocking policy means that any businesses that have an immediate vehicle requirement should contact Mazda as models can typically be delivered within two weeks.'