Photo: CarPix
It's only been a month since Mazda previewed its supermini at the Geneva Motor Show. Like most concepts before it, the transition from Hazumi concept to production Ford Fiesta rival will be a very clean one, with very little design being lost.
Our team of spy photographers were once again able to find the little Mazda2 prototype amongst the German traffic. Seeing a fully camouflaged car might have been quite surprising for the regular motorists. So let's see if we can shed a little light on Mazda's cover-up.
First of all, the German license plates bear the "HG" initial, indicative of the Hochtaunuskreis district, located in the middle of Hesse, part of the Greater Frankfurt metropolitan region, where the Mazda appear to have registered its prototype.
As some of you might be aware, the Japanese automaker subdivision is called Mazda Motor Europe GmbH and its European R&D Centre is located in Hessen. It's responsible for market research, design, development and evaluation of most European projects.
Since superminis and subcompacts are extremely popular in Europe, Mazda could be focusing most of its development work for the next Mazda2 here. We say this also because the 3 and 6 prototypes were not as often seen in Germany as this hatch.
Despite being little, the Mazda2 has big ambitions. It should not only be larger and more practical than the model it replaces, but also a bit lighter and much more efficient. Being the fourth model to be based on their Skyactiv platform, it benefits from all the knowhow gathered in the past. As far as engines are concerned, a 1.5-liter engine with 100 hp is a certainty, having been developed for the bigger 3.
In May 2011, Mazda also launched a 1.3-liter Skyactiv-G engine which went into that year's list of updates. Thanks to a high 14.0:1 compression ratio and standard stop/start technology, the 1.3 achieves some pretty amazing economy figures on the Japanese combined test cycle.
The last engine we think is going into the new Mazda2 is a brand new 1.5-liter Skyactiv-D diesel with yet-unknown output numbers. It was shown alongside the Hazumi concept in Geneva and would be the a great replacement for he current underpowered 1.4 diesel offered in some markets.
First of all, the German license plates bear the "HG" initial, indicative of the Hochtaunuskreis district, located in the middle of Hesse, part of the Greater Frankfurt metropolitan region, where the Mazda appear to have registered its prototype.
As some of you might be aware, the Japanese automaker subdivision is called Mazda Motor Europe GmbH and its European R&D Centre is located in Hessen. It's responsible for market research, design, development and evaluation of most European projects.
Since superminis and subcompacts are extremely popular in Europe, Mazda could be focusing most of its development work for the next Mazda2 here. We say this also because the 3 and 6 prototypes were not as often seen in Germany as this hatch.
Despite being little, the Mazda2 has big ambitions. It should not only be larger and more practical than the model it replaces, but also a bit lighter and much more efficient. Being the fourth model to be based on their Skyactiv platform, it benefits from all the knowhow gathered in the past. As far as engines are concerned, a 1.5-liter engine with 100 hp is a certainty, having been developed for the bigger 3.
In May 2011, Mazda also launched a 1.3-liter Skyactiv-G engine which went into that year's list of updates. Thanks to a high 14.0:1 compression ratio and standard stop/start technology, the 1.3 achieves some pretty amazing economy figures on the Japanese combined test cycle.
The last engine we think is going into the new Mazda2 is a brand new 1.5-liter Skyactiv-D diesel with yet-unknown output numbers. It was shown alongside the Hazumi concept in Geneva and would be the a great replacement for he current underpowered 1.4 diesel offered in some markets.
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