With the constant pressure on r&d and manufacturing spending, the Japanese automaker is going to make money in the B-segment again, for the first time since 2003. „Unlike the previous model, the new car will generate profits for us,” said Jeff Guyton of Mazda Motors Europe. „Alone, the move to reduce the number of plants supplying the car has helped us a lot to achieve that goal.”
The new Mazda2 is going to make money for dealers and the automaker likewise. Crucially, the revised car will retail in Germany for EUR 11,950, which is EUR 650 less than the price of the corresponding previous-generation variant.
Crucially, the new Mazda2 comes standard with the company's dynamic stability control (DSC), which used to be available at a premium on the previous-generation model.
When launched, the Mazda2 will be initially available with two petrol engines, an MZR 1.3-litre engine (standard 75 PS and 86 PS high-power derivatives depending on market), and an MZR 1.5-litre with 103 PS of power.
The all-new Mazda2 is much more than simply a model change from the current model. It is the first of Mazda’s new-generation line-up to reflect an evolution of Zoom-Zoom.
The all-new Mazda2 refines Mazda’s DNA, enhances B-car driving attributes, while meeting global environmental and safety standards. Body-structure optimisation and an increased use of high-tensile steel have not only made the new Mazda2 safer and quieter, it also made it about 100 kg lighter than its predecessor, making it even more frugal at the pump.
On the outside, the new Mazda2 has an exquisite and dynamic design with a distinctive Mazda identity, while the inside design delivers a cabin that is refreshingly unique with contoured forms that combine thickness with strong visual movement. Added to this is insightful functionality, like a high placement of the gear lever for easy shifting and a new glove box with a magazine rack.
In the first full year of sales, the new Mazda2 is expected to find some 70,000 buyers across Europe, including 15,000 in Germany alone. By comparison, the previous-generation model sold approximately 155,000 units across Europe in four years.
