Overview

Magazine-thin laptops, MP3 players and bite-size candy bars are just a few examples of good things that come in small packages. Now, for the first time in North America, Mazda is introducing its own affordable, fun-sized creation - the 2011 Mazda 2. A stylish, eco-friendly, fun-to-drive five-door hatchback, the Mazda 2 is Zoom-Zoom in its most concentrated form - compact and efficient, yet packed with style and substance. It will launch into the North American market in late summer, 2010.

Mazda 2 is the latest in a line of stylish, insightful and hugely fun-to-drive small cars from Mazda, and will bring an all-new level of refinement to the segment, as Mazda 3 did for the compact C-Car market. Mazda 2 is a car that only the engineers at Mazda could have created. It was designed and engineered from scratch to be a pure Mazda, offering the sort of driving experience that could only come from the company that developed the timeless Mazda MX-5 two-seat roadster, and it brings a combination of athletic design and dynamic performance to the subcompact class that simply does not exist at this time.

Originally launched in 2007, the new Mazda 2 was first introduced in Europe, Japan and Australia. Its launch created a unique offering in the B-car (subcompact) segment, especially through its distinguished design and outstanding driving performance. Since then, it has been highly acclaimed throughout the world, winning 48 automotive awards, including "Car of the Year" accolades in many markets, including Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Bulgaria and Greece. Notably, the Mazda 2 was selected as the "2008 World Car of the Year" (WCOTY) at the 2008 New York International Auto Show and has established a distinguished position in the B-Car segment. To date, total global sales have reached approximately 370,000 units in the three years since its introduction, and Mazda 2 is now recognized as one of the global models which symbolizes the essence of the Mazda brand.

While developing the new Mazda 2, Mazda took a thorough look at global subcompact car trends and carefully worked to identify the truly beneficial values that could be infused into a global B-Car. As a result, the new Mazda 2 adds Mazda's unique brand values such as exhilarating driving performance and eye-catching design to the segment without sacrificing the basic requirements for subcompact cars: superior fuel efficiency, high crash safety performance and ample passenger space. In fact, while other carmakers have increased the size of their small cars, Mazda's first mission was to analyze and define the optimal size of a compact vehicle. This resulted in a very efficient body size for the new Mazda 2 without sacrificing attractive features that consumers desire.

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