Mazda is hoping its new Demio, or Mazda2, will help it take on Toyota and Honda in the sub-compact market in Japan. It is likely to go on sale in South Africa too.
Mazda is hoping its redesigned Demio will help it take on Toyota and Honda in the sub-compact market in Japan. It is likely to go on sale in South Africa too.
Mazda has put the little multi-purpose vehicle up against Toyota’s Vitz/Yaris, Honda’s Fit/Jazz and Nissan’s March/Micra. It is the second all-new car after the Atenza from the Japanese manufacturer.
The original Demio debuted in August 1996 and has been one of Mazda’s few big-sellers. Mazda expects the little car to sell 7 000 units a month in Japan, aimed at young families. The Demio will be called the Mazda2 outside Japan. This is in line with Mazda’s decision to switch to a numeric naming system, with the Mazda6 replacing the Mazda 626.
Ford spokesman Craig von Essen said the Mazda2 was being considered or South Africa, but had not been approved yet. He said the Mazda6 and Mazda RX8 were the priorities at the moment.
The 2 is based on the Fiesta platform and features upslanting headlights and an accented bonnet. It comes in three models: Cozy, Sport and Casual.
Mazda says the Demio has improved interior packaging and the exterior design and interior quality now “one rank above the rest” with “class-leading driving performance, and enhanced safety features”.
It has twin airbags with the passenger airbag automatically deactivated when no front passenger is present or a Mazda child seat is installed. Optional ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), high-mounted brake lights and seatbelt pretensioners also feature in the range. Crumplezones are built in to help disperse energy in a crash, and strengthened steel beams are incorporated in chassis floor, roof and doors to provide a ‘survival cell’.
The Demio has newly-developed MZR 1,3- and 1,5-litre engines, with double overhead camshafts and a long intake manifold, continuously variable valve timing (called S-VT for Sequential Valve Timing) and stainless steel exhaust manifold.
The 1,3 unit develops 67 kW at 6 000 r/min and 124 N.m torque at 3 500 r/min.
The 1,5-litre engine delivers 83 kW at 6 000 r/min and 140 N.m at 4 000 r/min. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, with the Sport having a MZR1,5 engine coupled to four-speed ‘Activematic’ transmission. The three models are priced between R80 000 and R120 000 in Japan.
The 1,5-litre Sport model is fitted with HID headlights, 15-inch alloy wheels, and aero bumpers. The cabin is fitted out in dark blue with metal-like accents.
A 50:50 split rear seat back can be collapsed with a one-touch levers. The Cozy model has a special “White Canvas Top”. It uses semi-transparent woven polyester laminated with a durable fluorocarbon resin and the closed roof is claimed to fill the cabin with a soft light “similar to that of a white awning-covered open-air café”.
The roof is also claimed to restrict ultra-violet rays from penetrating the cabin and heat build-up in the cabin in the same way as a normal roofed car.
Analysts predict the Cozy model’s unique features could set it apart once it is launched in the rest of the world.
