Show full PR text ALL-NEW 2016 MAZDA2 MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT



IRVINE, Calif. (July 16, 2014) – The all-new 2016 Mazda2 was today unveiled in Japan by Mazda Motor Corporation (MC). Mazda's sub-compact entry, known as the Demio in Japan, receives its first complete redesign since its global third-generation launch seven years ago. Based on the HAZUMI concept, which debuted at the Geneva Auto Show in March, this all-new fourth-generation vehicle is outfitted with the full suite of SKYACTIV®[1] technologies and "KODO: Soul of Motion" design language to match its larger siblings the Mazda3 compact car, Mazda6 mid-size sedan and CX-5 compact SUV. The 2016 Mazda2 also features additional in-vehicle and safety technology with MAZDA CONNECT™ and i-ACTIVSENSE, respectively.



The 2016 Mazda2 will begin rolling out to global markets from Japan's Hofu plant starting this fall. For the Japanese market, the vehicle will be available with a SKYACTIV-G 1.3-liter gasoline engine and a SKYACTIV-D 1.5-liter clean diesel engine. More information on specifications for other global markets, including the U.S., will be released closer to its on-sale date in those respective regions.



With more than 2.4 million units sold worldwide, the Mazda2 is the best-selling vehicle in Japan. First introduced in 1996, a second generation followed in 2002 with the third-generation model being released in 2007. The Mazda2 was not available in the U.S. market until the third generation as a 2011 model.



About Mazda North American Operations



Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at www.mazdausamedia.com.

Small cars may be big business, but the world's automakers don't seem to be in any particular rush to keep them fresh. The new Smart Fortwo unveiled yesterday replaces a model that's already been around for seven years, one based on a structure dating back to the late '90s. The new Opel Corsa revealed just last week replaces a model that had been around for eight years. And the Mazda2 has been on the market in its current form for seven years now, but not for much longer, because Mazda has finally revealed its successor.Set to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show this October, the new Mazda2 follows the stylistic lead of this year's Hazumi concept remarkably close, from the sharply creased front end right down to the wheel design – bringing the supermini hatchback in line with the KODO design language that characterizes its bigger siblings: the Mazda3 Mazda6 and CX-5 Although details released thus far are rather limited, and power will vary from one market to another, engine options center around a 1.5-liter four in both gasoline and diesel versions, joining the manual and automatic transmissions and the chassis itself under Mazda's Skyactiv technology umbrella. We wouldn't expect the diesel version to make it across the Pacific (or across the border from the plant that will build it alongside a new Toyota hatch in Mexico), but rumors have surfaced of a potential rotary hybrid . The new 2 will also include the company's MZD connectivity suite and i-Activsense safety technology.Also sold as the Demio in certain regions (like the Japanese Domestic Market), the new Mazda2 represents a vital product for Mazda, which has sold over 2.4 million of them since the model line's introduction 1996. Production has already begun at Mazda's plant in Hofu near Hiroshima, Japan. Scope out the videos and press release below for a closer look.We've updated this story with the US market press release, below , which confirms that the Mazda2 will be a 2016 model when it goes on sale here. A handful of new images have been added to the gallery above, as well.