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Mazda2 Profile: Minicar Resurgence Continues

By Michael J. DeWane | September 15, 2007

It looks like Mazda is poised for a bit of minicar success with their new Mazda2 or Demio as it is known in its homeland. Not only is it smart looking, but it should be, in keeping with Mazda’s Zoom Zoom philosophy, a bit of fun to drive as well. One of the things special about Mazda is their attention to detail in the weight department. In an era where the latest version of the Honda Accord is bigger and heavier than it’s ever been, Mazda has a knack for realizing when enough is enough. Be sure to check out the suspension photos as you continue reading. The notes are written in Japanese, but the important thing to notice is the portion that says “-x kg” at the end of each note.

Mazda is proud of the weight saving measures and it should be. On the rear axel alone they’ve managed to save 9.22 kg, or about 20 pounds. They could have saved a lot of engineering expense by using the same piece from the old model, but they knew that applying this philosophy throughout the car would yield dividends in the finished product. Last March the Mazda PR machine was putting out the message of Sustainable Zoom Zoom. Now we can see what they meant. In an upcoming article we’ll encounter the same philosophy as it has been employed in a very different type of vehicle, the Mazda6.

The car has been selling well in Japan since it’s release in August and Auto Express has taken a spin in the Mazda2 diesel. Now if you’re thinging to yourself that Zoom Zoom and diesel don’t go together, with a 0 to 62 MPH time of 15.2 seconds you’re right, but who can argue with 54.7 MPG. And before some wiseguy comments that Auto Express says it gets 65.7 MPG, I converted for US gallons (the Brits have bigger gallons than we do.)

I can’t find any firm numbers yet on when the Mazda2 will show its face in the USA, but Ford has commited to bringing out a Fiesta or Festiva or some similar name for 2009. Don’t Expect Ford’s version to be all that dissimilar to Mazda’s.

Now please enjoy the pretty pictures.