Looking for something cheap, fun and spunky? Mazda may have the answer to your petit lust. Finally, the zoom-zoom brand has responded to their dealer’s desires and will be bringing the Mazda2 to American soil.
Late last week in a meeting with the company’s top dealers, Jim O’Sullivan, Mazda’s CEO, announced that after much waiting, the 2 will be making an appearance in U.S. showrooms in late 2010.
“You’ve asked us for it for a while now, and we’ve been studying the market to make sure we can make a business case for it across North America…as consumers’ tastes and attitudes towards small vehicles have changed, we now believe strongly there is a place in our lineup for a car below our current least expensive car, the Mazda 3.”
This is good news for Mazda’s U.S. operations as the 2 has proven its success around the globe. It won 2008’s World Car of the Year and was named Car of the Year in more than 20 separate countries. Clearly, with cars like the Honda Fit seeing tremendous sales increases, Mazda could have a cash cow on its hands. Time will tell.
The good thing about the Mazda2 is that it can be versatile. No word on which version(s) we will be getting but Mazda has numerous options abroad: a three-door hatchback, a five-door hatchback and a four-door sedan. Considering the Mazda’s positioning, I am willing to bet they will send us the hatchbacks and nothing more.
Make sure to cross off December 4 – 13 on your calendar. If you are in the L.A. area and are interested in the Mazda2, you should stop by the L.A. Auto Show, where it will be on display.
More information will be made available from Mazda as the launch date approaches.
[Source: Mazda]