The Mazda 2 it’s almost a decade old but there’s no sign of a replacement, with the Japanese brand instead giving the light car another facelift.
It will go on sale in Australia in June 2023, with deliveries starting in July.
Pricing will be announced closer to launch, but Mazda says the local 2 range will continue to consist of Pure, Pure SP, Evolve and GT variants. Currently, the GT is the only trim that still offers a sedan option.
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Overseas models are shown throughout
The update is mostly cosmetic, with tweaks inside and out.
Most noticeable is the revised grille. There’s a more traditional honeycomb grille, as well as a new body-colored grille area that’s mostly covered. Both feature a single-colored accent on one side, an asymmetric look first seen on the updated CX-5 Touring Active.
There are also asymmetrically placed color accents on the rear bumper, while hatchback and GT sedan models get a redesigned rear bumper. Mazda says colorful accents “[enhance] the young spirit of the car”.
The GT gets a new aero-inspired multi-spoke alloy wheel design, as well as dual exhaust outlets. It’s unclear if other variants will get the new wheel design, which seems to be the case for a few others in Japan.
All Pure bars also get streamlined shark fin antennas, while Aero Gray and Airstream Blue metallic finishes join the nine-strong color palette. The Pure SP gets a black film cover for the roof.
Inside, Pure and Pure SP models get new colored dash trim pieces. This trim piece is finished in either Pure White, Mirror Black or Mint depending on the exterior finish chosen.
The mid-range Evolve gets a black interior with red highlights, including on the seat stitching and around the air vents, while the GT builds on that with a red and black dash and partial leather upholstery.
Mazda says the tweaks to the Evolve and GT are meant to take cues from the old Mazda 2 Genki.
No note has been made of mechanical changes. The Mazda 2 is now offered in Australia exclusively with front-wheel drive and a naturally aspirated 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine by 82kW power and 144Nm of torque, and either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
It’s unclear how long the existing Mazda 2 will be around.
Although it was first launched in 2014, it is not the oldest member of Mazda’s lineup. That would be the current Mazda 6, which was launched locally in late 2012.
The Mazda 2 received a facelift for 2020, with the company trimming the lineup and adding more safety equipment as well as a higher base price.
The current car has already been replaced in Europe by a rebadged version of the Toyota Yaris. Curiously, the reverse was done in North America, with Toyota briefly offering a mildly modified Mazda 2 there as the Scion iA and later the Toyota Yaris iA.
Last year, the Mazda 2 was the third best-selling light car in Australia with 5146 sales. That puts it slightly ahead of the Kia Rio (4576) and Suzuki Swift (4405), but behind the discontinued Suzuki Baleno (6124) and the indefatigable MG 3 (16,168).
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2022 Mazda 2 G15 Pure SP
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