Mazda retailers belonging to the manufacturer’s business development programme are being given access to its “fleet vehicle sold order pot” system, which will enable them to meet fleet orders within 10-14 days of placement.

The business development programme is designed to increase corporate sales to the SME sector and involves almost 40 Mazda retailers. These retailers will now be able to use its fleet order system.

Currently, four strategically located Mazda fleet centres - Arnold Clark in Scotland, JCT600 in Bradford, Norton Way in Letchworth and Johnsons in Oxford and Swindon - handle approximately 65% of all Mazda’s contract hire and outright purchase fleet business.

Each quarter the four dealers forecast the model mix they expect to be most popular with fleets. The vehicles are then manufactured and held centrally on the dockside at Zeebrugge in Belgium. When fleet orders are taken, the dealers “pull” cars from the “pot” and deliver to customers within 10-14 days.

Vehicle waiting lists at some manufacturers are an average 12-14 weeks with some order times stretching to six months and into mid-2011.

Since launching the concept in the final quarter of last year, the number of vehicles held at Zeebrugge has increased from 600 to 900 in the final quarter of 2010 - although the programme is totally demand led with no manufacturer push.

Mazda Fleet and Remarketing Director Peter Allibon said: “We will roll the initiative out to more dealers because of the lengthening vehicle build lead times of other manufacturers. Businesses and their company car drivers are only prepared to wait so long for cars and several months is unacceptable to many.