West London Motor Group (WLMG) has made a solid start in the first four months of business with its new Mazda franchise in Reading and is expecting the final quarter of the year to be “very positive”.

Mazda has been absent from Reading for 11 years.

General manager Andrew Holtham said: “Considering it’s a new franchise for us in what has been a cold area for Mazda, we’re comfortable with the progress we have made.

“We’ve turned the corner and can see momentum building; more people are coming into the showroom and we’re getting a lot of interest through the internet – almost 100 enquiries from our own website and more than 30 from Mazda UK’s website.”

Now that the Mazda name is getting better known around the Reading area, Holtham has ambitions to reinforce its presence by getting more involved in local community projects as well as supporting local sports teams.

Mazda Reading, based at Rose Kiln Lane near the Majedski Stadium, is the first Mazda outlet for the fast-growing WLMG. The company was founded in 1996 and Mazda Reading, part of an existing multi-franchise outlet, is its 16th dealership. Follwowing a £250,000 investment in facilities, the site has a dedicated eight-car showroom and five-bay service area alongside existing Hyundai and Fiat showrooms.