28 October 2002: Mazda is the first compact MPV producer to bring seven seats to its lineup against the 7-seat Opel Zafira, which used its innovation to become one of the two key players in the market segment.

The Japanese company’s Premacy will offer a 7-seat version in November in the UK, and presumably it will follow in Ireland. It was debuted at the recent Birmingham Motor Show.

But the Mazda and Premacy won’t have this niche all their own for long - Renault’s next Scenic will also have a 7-seat version, with an extended body compared to the 5-seater.

The Mazda newcomer will be powered by 2-litre petrol and diesel engines. The existing individual removable second row seats will be replaced by a 50/50 split/fold set.

In the UK, Mazda expects the 7-seater to take 17.5 per cent of sales.