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Mazda2 sedan images released ahead of Thailand reveal

Mazda will let customers put some junk in the trunk of its Mazda2 with the introduction of a new four-door model at the upcoming Thailand International Motor Expo on November 28. While the show is still days away from beginning, the Japanese automaker is already spilling some of the details about the sedan variant of its fetching subcompact. The four-door and traditional hatchback versions of the Mazda2 will both hit Thailand in early 2015. The two of them are essentially identical other than the added trunk and adjusted rear styling for the sedan. It basically makes the model look like a shrunken down version of the Mazda3 sedan, which isn't a bad thing at all. The company has big expectations for the little car because they're already Mazda's bestselling passenger models in Thailand. Both models will be sold with the SkyActiv-D 1.5 diesel in Thailand, which gives them lower taxes under the government's low-emission, compact car incentive plan. According to a previous rumor, a gasoline-fueled mill could join the lineup eventually, too. There's also gossip that the Mazda2 sedan could eventually be sold in Australia and Europe, but US sales are still a mystery. When asked about the four-door here, Mazda spokesperson Eric Booth told Autoblog, "We'll have more to say on Mazda2 at a later date. Right now, our focus is on the launches of the all-new CX-3 and MX-5 as well as the refreshed CX-5 and Mazda6." The company is showing all of those models at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show. Mazda to Debut the All-new Mazda2 Sedan at Thailand International Motor Expo - Goes on sale in Thailand alongside the hatchback model early 2015 - HIROSHIMA, Japan-Mazda Motor Corporation will debut the sedan model of the all-new Mazda2 (known as Mazda Demio in Japan) at the Thailand International Motor Expo 2014*1 on November 28, 2014. The all-new Mazda2 compact sedan features handsome proportions and bold styling, a high-quality, sporty interior and a combination of excellent driving performance and outstanding environmental and safety performance. The all-new Mazda2 hatchback will also be exhibited at the expo; the first time the model has been displayed to the public in Thailand. Both the sedan and the hatchback feature the SKYACTIV-D 1.5, Mazda's newly-developed small-displacement clean diesel engine. The all-new Mazda2 goes on sale in Thailand in early 2015.

2015 Mazda2 spotted on the road

When Mazda unveiled the Hazumi Concept at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, our excitement for the next Mazda2 increased considerably. The Hazumi looks to retain much of the driving character that makes the current 2 one of the very best cars in its segment while infusing it with more aggressive styling. Of course, when the 2 arrives, it won't look exactly like the Hazumi. That's why these spy photos are so important.
This is our very first look at the next-generation 2, and although the Hazumi influence might be difficult to discern, thanks to the swirly camo, it's still there. The grille shape and the headlights are very similar in shape to the items shown on the concept, while the camouflage disguises the shape of the greenhouse, which looks somewhat like the Hazumi.
What we can't see, though, is under the hood. That's where our spies come in, reporting that a pair of 1.5-liter SkyActiv engines will see action in the tossable 2. The former, which we'll almost certainly see in the US, is a gas-powered mill found in the Euro-spec Mazda3. In the larger 3, it produces 99 horsepower and 111 pound-feet of torque, which is broadly similar to what the current 2's 1.5-liter pumps out. The other engine, a 1.5-liter SkyActiv diesel, probably won't be making the trip, although we'll continue to hope.

Mazda goes on engineer hiring binge as recovery picks up speed

Japan's larger automakers - companies like Toyota, Honda and Nissan - have tremendous engineering talent at their disposal. That's largely because, selling as many cars as they do, they've got more revenues to tap into. Logic might dictate, then, that smaller automakers like Mazda, which no longer has the deep pockets afforded to it by its former partnership with Ford, might have less of a budget and workforce for engineering. But Mazda has been raking in record profits, and it plans on cashing those revenues in by hiring a substantial new pool of engineers.
According to Automotive News, Mazda is preparing to hire as many as 185 new engineers over the next two years - almost four times as many as the 50 engineers it previously targeted. Many of those engineers will be put to work developing the second-generation, Skyactiv 2 technologies that are on the drawing board while the first round of Skyactiv features are still being rolled out.
The boost in recruitment is enabled by a positive fiscal year that ended last March, marking the first profits Mazda had logged in four years. Sources anticipate that the fiscal year culminating at the end of this month will mark the company's most profitable yet, netting over a billion dollars to eclipse the fiscal year that ended in 2008 when it recorded $872.5 million in profits.