Sporty Mazda2 3-door to be shown at Geneva

Mazda2 3-door: Bringing Sexy Back

Sexy 3-door To Wow The Ladies

By Thami Masemola
January 23, 2008 10:32 PM
Filed Under: Geneva Motor Show, Japanese, Mazda

The worldwide success of the compact Mazda2 has prompted the Japanese carmaker to unveil a sexy 3-door version of the car. Geneva International Motor Show will be the spot, the Mazda stand the rendezvous. Already a hit among the young-at-heart, Mazda2 increases its range twofold by introducing the newcomer in exactly the same engine derivatives as its 5-door sibling, which are the 1.3-litre, 1.5-litre petrol/gasoline options as well as the punchy 1.4-litre turbo-diesel.

Mazda will keep to the lighter philosophy of things as this version sheds the two doors and coughs out fewer CO2 emissions.

Pricing for the 3-door will be keen in order to attract the younger, trendier crowd whose language of communication is slightly different from the older Mazda6 generation. What word on an MPS version? Mazda is keeping tight lip, but as always, if and when a Mazda2 MPS hits the testing grounds, you will be first in line to see it. A total package of 200 bhp (150kW) is not out of the question for MPS.

WCF reported on the upcoming Mazda2 sedan a while ago, which will also be joining the growing lineup. Mazda2 5-door hatchback has been named Car of the Year in a number of countries including Denmark, Austria and Greece. It is one of eight finalists for the South African Car of the Year as well.

Source: Mazda

Press Release (Click to expand)

The new Mazda2 three-door hatchback will make its world premiere on Tuesday 4 March at the 78th Salon International de l’Auto de Genève. This is the first time that Mazda has offered a three-door variant in its popular Mazda2 model range. The newcomer will feature all the attributes of the five-door hatchback, but delivering an even sportier feel at a more affordable price.

The new Mazda2 three-door hatchback is designed to attract new customers and boost Mazda’s continued growth in the European market. It comes with the same powertrain line-up – the lively and responsive MZR 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engines and the MZ-CD 1.4-litre turbo diesel – as the five-door hatchback. These engines achieve high fuel efficiency together with particularly low CO2 emissions.

The three-door Mazda2 shares the same overall dimensions as the five-door and achieves a similarly modest kerb weight, model for model. The five-door Mazda2 has already demonstrated that by completely redesigning the body and chassis and implementing Mazda’s unique ‘gram strategy’, the brand’s small car weight could be reduced to under the 1,000 kilogram threshold. This outstanding result reverses the industry trend towards bigger and heavier cars.

Launched in September 2007 as Mazda’s first new-generation Zoom-Zoom vehicle to evolve to the next level, the new Mazda2 was an immediate hit with European customers. In December 2007, it was awarded a 5-Star safety rating by Euro-NCAP and it has won more than 20 automotive awards. These include Car of the Year awards in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece and New Zealand, along with the Japan RJC Car of the Year.

The Geneva Show will also witness three Mazda European debuts: the Mazda Taiki concept car, equipped with a next-generation rotary engine, the Mazda5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid and the upgraded Mazda’s RX-8 four-seater, four-door sports car.