Mazda2 moves to Thai production

Managing Director for Mazda Australia, Doug Dickson, described the news that Australian-delivery Mazda2s would be sourced from Thailand as "one of the year's worst kept secrets".

Dickson was addressing journalists during a press conference for the Mazda3 Diesel when he dropped the 'bombshell'.

"By mid-2010, Australia-bound Mazda2s will be built in our state-of-the-art plant in Thailand," he said. The plant, with a capacity of up to 50,000 Mazda2 units per year, is the facility assigned the task of supplying markets in ASEAN (the Association of South-East Asian Nations) and other regional export markets. Australia is now formally one of those.

With the local market locked into supply from the AAT plant (Auto Alliance Thailand -- so named for being a joint venture between Mazda and Ford), Mazda is now in a position to offer Australian buyers the Mazda2 sedan, which is built at the same plant. The 'three-box' Mazda2 looks like beating the Ford Fiesta sedan to market here and will go up against other light-car sedan models from Toyota Yaris, Honda City, Nissan Tiida and Holden Barina.

According to Dickson, the booted Mazda2 sits on the same 2490mm wheelbase as the hatch, but will boast 450 litres of luggage space (versus 430 litres for the Mazda3 sedan) and will be powered by the same 1.5-litre 76kW petrol four-cylinder engine.

By sourcing the Mazda2 range from Thailand, Mazda will be able to remain price-competitive at a time when foreign exchange rates are favouring the Korean Won over the Japanese Yen (the Mazda2 is currently manufactured in Japan).

Dickson would not be drawn on pricing or specification for the Mazda2 sedan.