New trade deals between the EU and Japan could allow Mazda, with no European plants of its own, to operate on a level playing fields with its rivals for the first time.
The Japanese manufacturer currently has to contend with 10% tariffs as well as a strong yen which hurts prices and import numbers.
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A trade deal could well open the door for more imports into the EU from the factories in Japan but for Jeremy Thompson, managing director of Mazda UK, Brexit could throw everything into confusion.
"Hopefully we will be able to benefit in the UK from a trade deal between the EU and Japan but at the moment we don't know what Brexit means. If there is a complete trade break from the EU then hopefully the UK can strike its own deals."
Taking away the trade tariffs would be a huge benefit and could allow the UK operation to break through its 50,000 sales and 2% market share peaks of the past few years. Thompson said: "We are constantly having to juggle with tariffs and adverse exchange rates which affect our business model and make our cars more expensive for the consumer. A trade deal would certainly level the playing field."
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By GlobalData
