Mazda2 2014 release date, price & specs

The new Mazda2 is set for its European press launch on 3 November as Mazda prepares to show it off at Mazda Space, the manufacturer's European press hub in Barcelona. In keeping with Mazda's launch strategy for the Mazda2, the car will appear at other smaller events, including the International Film Festival in Rome later this month, rather than at the major international motor shows. The car was a noticeable absentee from the Paris Motor Show earlier this month, possibly so as not to detract from the launch of the new Mazda MX-5.

Mazda started production of the new model at its Hofu plant in Japan in summer this year but the car won't be on sale here until early next year. The Mazda2 shares its KODO ‘soul of motion’ styling and super efficient SKYACTIV engine technology with the rest of the Mazda range.

Mazda interior space & technology

The new Mazda2 is significantly wider than the outgoing model and the Japanese manufacturer says the car will be more spacious than any of its rivals.

In-car technology has also been upgraded relative to the outgoing model with the introduction of the MZD Connect infotainment system. It syncs with your smartphone and is operated via a seven-inch touchscreen. The system is compatible with apps on your phone to provide a multitude of services on the move. The car also gets Mazda's Active Driving Display, a head-up display (HUD) that projects important information on to the bottom of the windscreen so the driver doesn't have to take their eyes off the road.

The Mazda2 will also come with the company's i-ACTIVSENSE safety technology. It includes features such as active headlights (that follow the direction of the steering wheel), high-beam assist that automatically dips the headlights, a lane departure warning system, plus front and rear parking sensors. A five-star rating from Euro NCAP seems highly likely but won't be confirmed until a later date.

New Mazda2 price and release date

The new Mazda2 will go on sale next year, with prices starting from around £11,000. Although specifications have yet to be confirmed, we'd expect a top-of-the-range diesel-engined Mazda2 Sport to cost roughly £16,000. This would put it in direct competition with the class-leading Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo.

New Mazda2 engines

Mazda’s SKYACTIV engine technology has led to the production of engines that manage to be both powerful and economical, and the new Mazda2 is set to benefit from this.

The Mazda2 will initially be offered with a 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.5-litre petrol engine. The latter will be available with 74bhp, 89bhp or 113bhp, while the diesel engine will produce 104bhp. According to Mazda, the diesel engine is capable of 83mpg with CO2 emissions of 89g/km, while the most frugal 1.5-litre petrol engine will return 63mpg with emissions of 105g/km.

The Mazda2 will also use Mazda's efficient SKYACTIV-Drive automatic and SKYACTIV-MT manual gearboxes, as well as stop-start technology (that turns the engine off when the car is stationary) and a brake energy regeneration system.

Mazda2 key to company’s sales growth

Mazda hopes the new Mazda2 will be good enough to double sales compared to the old model, which would be more than 50,000 units. Mazda is currently Britain’s fastest-growing carmaker, with sales up by more than 10,000 units between January and March, while profits were up 26 per cent, year on year compared to the same quarter last year.

Mazda Europe’s chief operating officer, Phil Waring, told our sister website Auto Express: “We currently sell around 24,000 in the B [supermini] segment and we expect the new car to double that.”

“From April to March 2013, we sold 126,000 cars across Europe. This year from 1 April to March it is likely to be just under 160,000 and in the longer term we are looking at around 225,000.”

Bookmark this page for all the latest news on the new Mazda2 as we get it. You can also read a review of the current model, plus others in the Mazda line-up, by visiting Carbuyer’s dedicated Mazda page.