All-new Mazda2 Wins
2008 World Car of the Year Award
Leverkusen, 20th
March 2008.
The Mazda2 is the 2008 World Car of the Year (WCOTY). From an
initial entry list of thirty-nine (39) new vehicles from all
over the world, the overall 2008 WCOTY title was announced today
(Thursday, March 20, 2008) at the New York International Auto
Show. The Mazda2 (known as the Mazda Demio in Japan) edged out
the Ford Mondeo and Mercedes-Benz C-Class to take the overall
award.
Based on the recommendations of a design panel consisting of four highly
respected world design experts, the Mazda2 was also voted by the
jurors onto the short-list of top three design finalists,
together with the Audi R8 and Volvo C30.
The WCOTY awards
were officially launched in January 2004 and are initiated by,
organized by, and conducted by automotive journalists from all
over the world. A jury of 47 international automotive
journalists selected the overall winner by secret ballot, based
on their experience with each candidate as part of their
professional work. The jury members constitute a balance of
representation from Asia, Europe, North America, South America,
as well as other parts of the world.
Since it first went
on sale in 2003 in Europe, the Mazda2 has enjoyed widespread
popularity due to its convenient size and superb storage and
functionality. The second generation all-new Mazda2 commenced
sales in Japan in July 2007, and soon drew attention thanks to
its fun-to-drive, Zoom-Zoom driving dynamics, and the emphasis
Mazda placed on the new generation’s desire for environmental
and safety attributes and great design. The all-new Mazda2
reflects these emerging modern attitudes with stylish exterior
design complemented by low running costs and excellent fuel
economy, achieved by reducing the vehicle’s weight by
approximately 100 kilograms.
“We are delighted
that the 2008 World Car of the Year jury has chosen the all-new
Mazda2 as their World Car of the Year,” said Dan Morris, Mazda’s
senior managing executive officer in charge of Marketing, Sales
and Customer Service. “This is wonderful recognition which
Mazda2 car owners and Mazda employees alike can celebrate
worldwide.“
“The all-new Mazda2
is exceeding our highest expectations, demonstrating it can
compete and win against the best sub-compact cars in any market
in the world and is earning glowing praise at home and globally,
having also won a number of Car of the Year awards around the
globe, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, New Zealand,
and the RJC Car of the Year award in Japan.”
New Mazda2’s Lightweight Strategy
Leverkusen, 19th July 2007.
The all-new Mazda2 is the product of a
lightweight mindset at Mazda’s R & D community to reduce vehicle
weight of new Mazda products as a way to lower fuel consumption
and CO2
emissions, while delivering the agile handling and safety
attributes customers expect of Mazda. The new Mazda2 is a
milestone in this respect: almost 100 kg lighter than the
previous Mazda2, it reverses the trend towards ever-heavier
vehicles while being safer and even more fun to drive. 60
percent of this weight savings came in engineering solutions,
including the body shell, which has an optimised structure and
uses high and ultra-high tensile steels for less weight, greater
rigidity and better crash resistance. Another 20 percent were
saved by features adjustments and 20 percent saved making the
car’s exterior dimensions smaller. Mazda2 engineers reduced
weight by:
·
using of high and ultra-high
tensile steels for lighter (and stronger) body and joint
reinforcements
·
shortening the trailing arm of
the rear suspension and giving the front lower arms an
open-section design
·
making the bonnet striker
assembly smaller, the hinges thinner
·
eliminating the underfoot
catalyst (1.3-litre model)
·
moving the fresh-air inlet to
the top of the radiator shroud (doing away with the need of a
resonator and baffle)
·
making the wiring harness
shorter
·
changing the door-mounted
speaker magnets to neodymium types and making the plastic
moulding single-piece.
·
decreasing the length of the
vehicle by 40 mm and height by 55 mm
These weight-saving measures make the new Mazda2 a trendsetter
for fuel efficiency and low CO2
emissions. It delivers some of the B-segment’s lowest fuel
consumption (the standard power 1.3-litre petrol uses just 5.4
litres per 100 km combined) while producing just 129 g/km of CO2.
