2015 Mazda2 revealed ahead of Paris debut [w/videos]

Thu, 17 Jul 2014

Small cars may be big business, but the world's automakers don't seem to be in any particular rush to keep them fresh. The new Smart Fortwo unveiled yesterday replaces a model that's already been around for seven years, and based on a structure dating back to the late '90s. The new Opel Corsa revealed just last week replaces a model that had been around for eight years. And the Mazda2 has been on the market in its current form for seven years now, but not for much longer because Mazda has finally revealed its successor.

Set to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show this October, the new Mazda2 follows the stylistic lead of the Hazumi concept remarkably close, from the sharply creased front end right down to the wheel design – bringing the supermini hatchback in line with the KODO design language that characterizes its bigger siblings: the Mazda3, Mazda6 and CX-5.

Although details released thus far are rather limited, and power will vary from one market to another, engine options center around a 1.5-liter four in both gasoline and diesel versions, joining the manual and automatic transmissions and the chassis itself under Mazda's Skyactiv technology umbrella. We wouldn't expect the diesel version to make it across the Pacific (or across the border from the plant that will build it alongside a new Toyota hatch in Mexico), but rumors have surfaced of a potential rotary hybrid. The new 2 will also include the company's MZD connectivity suite and i-Activsense safety technology.

Also sold as the Demio in certain regions (like the Japanese Domestic Market), the new Mazda2 represents a vital product for Mazda, which has sold over 2.4 million of them since the model line's introduction 1996. Production has already begun at Mazda's plant in Hofu near Hiroshima, Japan. Scope out the videos and press release below for a closer look.

Mazda unveils the all-new Mazda2

- Production of SKYACTIV Technology-based subcompact begins in Japan
- Japanese market launch of Mazda's next-generation model slated for autumn

Hiroshima / Leverkusen, 17 July 2014. Mazda revealed the all-new Mazda2 today as the unconventional carmaker launched production of its next-generation supermini at its Hofu plant south-east of Hiroshima. The fourth member of Mazda's current model generation features the full range of ultra-efficient SKYACTIV Technology underneath a stunning KODO – Soul of Motion design that is bursting with energy.

With a winning combination of performance, fuel economy, safety and Mazda's patented driving fun, the all-new Mazda2 has the potential to reproduce the immense popularity of its siblings – the Mazda CX-5, Mazda6 and Mazda3 – when it goes on sale in autumn starting in Japan. Evolving and enhancing the technology and ergonomics cultivated in these vehicles, the newest Mazda is expected to raise the bar in the crucial B segment, Europe's single largest in terms of market share.

The all-new Mazda2 will premiere in Europe with a brand-new small displacement clean diesel engine, the SKYACTIV-D 1.5, as well as different power versions of the petrol SKYACTIV-G 1.5*. Together with SKYACTIV body, chassis, and manual and automatic transmissions, it also gets the company's innovative MZD Connect in-car connectivity system, a class-beating range of i-ACTIVSENSE active safety technology and a remarkably spacious and refined interior.

Applauded time and again for its outstanding value and unwavering reliability, more than 2.4 million Mazda2s** have been sold globally since it was first launched in 1996. With its new generation, Mazda is bringing another exciting interpretation of the supermini to drivers around the world.

* Powertrain availability may vary according to the market.
**Also sold as Mazda Demio.

By Noah Joseph