Geneva show: Mazda teases new 2

MAZDA has confirmed expectations it will reveal a concept version of its next-generation ‘DF-Series’ Mazda2 light-car at the Geneva motor show from March 4.

True to form, the company will preview its smallest mainstream offering with a near production-ready concept car, just like it did with the Mazda6-previewing Takeri and the CX-5-teasing Minagi.

Called the Hazumi, the red show-car appears to follow in the wheel-tracks of its bigger siblings with aggressive and angry headlights, an oversized grille and prominent body contours emphasising the front and rear wheel-arches. The current 2’s overall curvy design continues.

Hazumi loosely translates from Japanese as ‘bounce’. The design is intended to “convey the image of an untamed animal leaping,” and is referred to as “bursting with energy”.

The new sub-compact car will enter production later in 2014, but is unlikely to hit Australia until the early stages of 2015, meaning the ageing – but still top-selling in its segment – current model will probably have to stick it out for another 12 months.

The new 2 will sit on Mazda’s now-familiar SkyActiv modular architecture – in this case a shortened Mazda3 platform – meaning a new platform and new drivetrains. Mazda will premiere one of these engines, a small-capacity 1.5-litre diesel, at the Geneva show alongside the Hazumi.

Volume versions are expected to use the same 74kW/150Nm 1.5-litre SkyActiv direct-injected, ultra-high-compression petrol engine as European-market Mazda3s.

In addition, a new version of the current Japanese-market Mazda2’s 1.3-litre SkyActiv direct-injected petrol engine – overlooked for Australia in the current car – could also feature. That engine uses an astoundingly low 3.3 litres of fuel per 100km.

Expect the new Mazda2 to be the first SkyActiv model to use a cheaper, and more compact, rear torsion-beam suspension setup instead of multi-link, Also expect weight savings thanks to the new platform, and a new fuel-saving electro-mechanical steering system Despite being older than its main rivals, the current Mazda2 was Australia’s top-selling light-car in 2013, and maintained its mantle in January this year.