Paris Show: Mazda2 Facelift Makes Euro Debut

The subtly updated Mazda2 was given its European premiere in Paris today. The Fiesta's brethren enters the 2011 model year with a new face featuring a revised front grille and a re-sculptured front bumper. A fresh choice of exterior colors and alloy wheel designs complete the look.

On the inside, Mazda claims to have improved quality and feel with new materials, seat fabrics and colours, plus some other upgrades such as a new meter design with black background and a closed-type glove compartment.

Underneath the sheetmetal, the Japanese automaker has made changes to the chassis and suspension to provide a more comfortable and smooth ride. Completing the facelift package is the engine line-up that has been updated to comply with Euro 5 regulations.

There are three petrol engines including two 1.3-litre derivatives producing 75 PS and 84 PS, and a 1.5-litre with 102 PS, plus a revised 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine with 95 PS (+5 PS over the previous engine) and 205 Nm. Aside from being more powerful, the diesel unit is also more fuel efficient using 4.2 litres of fuel per 100 km (56 mpg US), while producing 110 grams of CO2per 100 km combined.

Australia: Now you see the New Mazda2 Sedan, now you Don't

The Mazda2 four-door small sedan has been dropped from the firm's lineup in Australia, just eight months after launch. The reason is Mazda's decision to switch production of the Australian market version of the small car from its Thailand factory, which manufactures both sedan and hatchback body styles, to the company's Hiroshima plant in Japan, which builds only the hatchback version.

The Japanese automaker said the move was dictated by the success of the Mazda2 in the Thailand region and the fact it could not guarantee supply to the Australian market.

Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver told reporters that the company does not except the loss of the four-door model to harm local sales as the five-door model was the most popular in the range.

An updated version of the Mazda2 hatchback with refreshed trim and all-new colours is due arrive in Australian showrooms this month. It will continue to be offered with 76kW 1.5 litre petrol engine, available with both manual or automatic transmissions.

Mazda Working on Small Roadster Model Based on the Mazda2

The latest gossip from the Japanese front is that Mazda is working on a new two-seater roadster model based on the underpinnings of the current generation Mazda2 supermini (see gallery after the jump) which is sold in Japan as the Demio. If true, the roadster would fit right under the MX-5 / Miata in Mazda's sports car range competing in Europe against the likes of the forthcoming Renault Twingo CC, the Opel Tigra and the Peugeot 207 CC.

No word on the roadster's top, but we gather that a retractable metal roof is the most obvious choice for a model of this sort.

The proposed two-seater is said to use the same front-wheel drive layout as the Ford Fiesta-sized Mazda2 with power coming from a similar engine line-up that in Europe includes 1.3-and 1.5-liter gasoline units as well as 1.4- and 1.6-liter turbo diesels.

Japan's Best Car magazine also came up with a preliminary computer generated rendering of the proposed roadster model which looks quite interesting sans the quirky headlight arrangement.

And while we have no way of confirming the report from Best Car, we believe that a roadster version of the Mazda2 is not only plausible but it also makes sense for Mazda to add such a version in its range.

Mazda Refines the Verisa for the Japanese Market

The Mazda Verisa is a subcompact car based on the previous generation Demio / Mazda2 that was launched in 2004 and is available exclusively for the Japanese market. For the 2010MY, Mazda has 'polished' the Verisa by refreshing the hatchback's interior trim with new upholstery options and upgrading the car's standard equipment while there are also three new exterior body colors including the Lilac Silver Metallic, Metroplitan Mica and Sparkling Black Mica. The 2010 Verisa goes on sale in Japan today with prices starting from 1,560,000 Yen or about $15,700.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

New Mazda2 1.6 Sport Diesel for UK Market

Mazda is enhancing its UK market Mazda2 citycar lineup with the introduction of a new 1.6D Sport model that is available three-door and five-door hatchback body styles. The new Sport models are powered by a 1.6-liter diesel engine producing 90HP and 215Nm of torque launching the citycar from standstill to 62mph or 100km/h in 11.4 seconds while returning a 67.3mpg UK or 56mpg US on the combined cycle.

Priced from £12,817, the new Mazda2 1.6D Sport benefits from new projector type headlamps, a rather discreet bodykit, 16-inch alloy wheels as well as dark cloth door trim inserts and black-out instruments, Dynamic Stability Control, Traction Control System, dusk sensing auto-lights, rain sensing auto-wipers, and climate control air-conditioning.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com