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NEWS
New Mazda2 rendered
But when will the real new Mazda2 stand up?Mazda has confirmed a computer-generated image purported to depict the next-generation Mazda2 is definitely not the new Mazda2.
First published in a Japanese magazine, a scan of which was then posted on Japanese car parts website Minkara five months ago on February 21, the rendering is now the subject of ‘news’ stories on automotive websites across the world wide web.
Fuelled by the fact the current Mazda2 first appeared more than six years ago at the 2007 Geneva motor show -- and that development of its successor was frozen to fast-track a new Mazda3 volume-seller -- some websites have even criticised the design of the car in the image without questioning its authenticity.
When contacted by motoring.com.au, Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver said emphatically: “It’s not an official Mazda rendering. Mazda has not announced any future products beyond the new Mazda6 and new Mazda3.”
On closer inspection, the rendering appears to graft Mazda’s new Kodo signature grille onto the front of the existing Mazda2, amounting to what appears to be a half-baked Photoshop job, heralded by the headline ‘New Mazda 2014 Demio’, the 2’s name in Japan.
Maciver confirmed the new Mazda2 would not make any sort of appearance at the Tokyo show in November, but we understand it will be launched globally next year, following the arrival of the new Mazda3 in Australia next February.
Unsurprisingly, he also indicated the replacement for Mazda’s smallest model will wear a version of the company’s Kodo design language as now seen on the CX-5, Mazda6 and new Mazda3, but suggested the new 2’s front-end design won’t be as adventurous as in this ‘artist’s impression’.
We also know the next Mazda2 will switch its Ford Fiesta-based underpinnings for a yet another variation of the Japanese brand’s own SKYACTIV modular chassis, which also resides beneath the CX-5, 6 and 3.
It’s also been well documented that next 2 will continue with the 1.3-litre direct-injection SKYACTIV-G petrol engine already available in the Japanese-market Demio, and the new 1.5-litre SKYACTIV-G engine that will be available in Europe’s new Mazda3, to replace the sole Mazda2 engine on offer here – both matched to the latest six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.
The new 2’s shortened SKYACTIV chassis is also expected to form the basis of an all-new compact SUV from Mazda due by 2015. It should be equipped with all-wheel drive capability – despite the fact some of its direct rivals, like Ford’s upcoming EcoSport, is strictly front-drive – and has already been christened the CX-3.
Before then, the next redesigned Mazda model will arrive later next year in the form of the new MX-5, which will be based on yet another (rear-drive) derivative of the SKYACTIV chassis and will also form the basis of Alfa Romeo’s next Spider roadster by 2015.
Expect the SKYACTIV platform to encompass everything from the B-segment Mazda2 and CX-3 to the next-generation seven-seat CX-9 SUV, development of which is also underway ahead of its global release within two years, bringing to five the number of new Mazdas due for launch by 2015.
Given all that, and the fact the next Mazda3 has only just been revealed ahead of its local release in February (little more than a year after its latest Mazda6), it’s unlikely Mazda will reveal its all-new 2 before, say, the New York or Beijing motor shows in April.
It’s therefore even less likely Mazda has produced glossy brochure images of it.
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Written byCarsales Staff
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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