GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: New Mazda2 takes a bow
Mazda HAZUMI concept to herald this year's all-new Mazda2 at GenevaMazda has revealed the first teaser image of a new concept car that will make its world debut at the Geneva motor show on March 4 and, no, it’s not the all-new CX-3 or next-generation MX-5, both of which are also due to emerge this year.
In fact, the so-called HAZUMI show car will preview the redesigned Mazda2, which is due to go on sale globally by the end of this year.
Update: A new sketch of the upcoming HAZUMI concept has been leaked ahead of the car's official reveal. The new image shows a sporty, low-slung five-door body riding on massive alloy wheels. It appears to adhere more stringently to Mazda's current design ethos than the current Mazda2, binding it closer than ever to the Mazda6 and just-launched Mazda3 models. Stay tuned for more details.
Mazda says it has not compromised on any of its vehicle engineering principles to create the HAZUMI, which “expresses the ideal form of the company’s next-generation sub-compact car”.
It said the HAZUMI name -- a Japanese word meaning to ‘bound or spring up’ – was chosen to convey the image of an untamed animal leaping.
“It is particularly fitting for a small car designed to look as if it is literally bursting with energy,” says Mazda.
Naturally, the new Mazda2 – like the new Mazda3, Mazda6 and all-new CX-5 – will combine the full complement of SKYACTIV engine, chassis and body technologies, representing a quantum shift away from the Ford Fiesta-based underpinnings of the current model.
Expect the replacement for one of Australia’s most popular light cars to be powered by a new 1.5-litre SKYACTIV four-cylinder petrol engine, matched to six-speed SKYACTIV manual and automatic transmissions.
Mazda has now also confirmed it will reveal an all-new SKYACTIV-D 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine at Geneva, alongside an exhibit celebrating 25 years since the launch of the MX-5, which itself will be renewed next year.
Motoring.com.au understands both the new MX-5 and the CX-3 – an all-new compact SUV based on the new Mazda2 – will also emerge this year, before being released in Australia in 2015.
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