Mazda 2 2015 News

The Australasian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced another set of national safety recalls, with models from Mazda, Tesla, Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Citroen impacted.

This weekend is shaping as a good one to buy a new car, as three of the four top-selling brands hold sales events.

Once again controversy has greeted the latest round of independent car crash testing

Half-time is typically a time for reflection.With six months of 2015 gone — and the official sales results arriving last week — it's time to look at what was hot and what was not in showrooms this year.At a glance, small cars are out and tiny SUVs are in. Diesels and hybrids are out, and turbocharged petrol cars are in. Luxury brands are in demand, local cars are not.Honda and Isuzu sales are surging, Ford and Holden have hit new lows.Sales of baby SUVs are up by 23 per cent in the first half of the year, thanks to the arrival of new offerings from Mazda and Honda. The surprise last month was that Honda's HR-V outsold Mazda's CX-3, despite a get-in price that is $5000 more than the baby Mazda. Buyers are no doubt attracted by the roominess of the Honda's cabin, which shares the clever design of its donor vehicle, the Jazz. Mitsubishi has also benefited from the increased showroom interest in this type of vehicle, with sales of its ASX surging by more than 45 per cent.They share their underpinnings with the new breed of SUVs, but they haven't been hurt by their arrival. Honda again leads the charge, with sales of its City sedan and Jazz hatch surging. Sales of the all-new Mazda2 are also strong and it remains best-selling car in the class. Other models that have captured the imagination of buyers are the evergreen Suzuki Swift and Toyota Yaris, as well as the Volkswagen Polo, which is up by more than 50 per cent thanks to sharp pricing.Low interest rates mean that a luxury badge is now within reach of more car buyers. As a result Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus are all enjoying double-digit growth. Understandably, most of the action is at the lower end of the market, with models high on the shopping list including BMW's Mini (up 59 per cent) and Audi's A3 (up 23 per cent). BMW's new 2 Series coupe and Lexus's NX small SUV have also launched with a bang, but the biggest success story is CarsGuide's 2014 Car of the Year, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which has doubled its sales in the first half of the year.Somebody is cashing in on Australia's property boom, with sales of sports cars costing more than $200,000 rising more than 20 per cent, albeit off a low base. Ferrari and Lamborghini dealerships are busy this year, with Ferrari logging 95 local sales compared with 52 in the same period last year and Lamborghini jumping from just seven sales to 60. The segment's most popular car, the Porsche 911, also enjoyed solid growth. At the other end of the spectrum, sales of affordable sports cars slumped as the initial shine predictably wore off the Toyota 86, Subaru BRZ and Hyundai Veloster. That will change, though, when Mazda's all-new MX-5 arrives in the second half of the year.They're big news in Japan and Europe, but micro cars haven't captured the Australian car buying public's imagination. Despite the arrival of an all-new model in the Suzuki Celerio and a midlife update for the Nissan Micra, sales are down by almost a third.They're still the nation's car of choice, but the arrival of baby SUVs has put a dent in the popularity of the small-car brigade led by the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3. This time last year, the Mazda3 was the top-selling vehicle in Australia, but sales this year are down by almost 10 per cent, cannibalised by the newer and funkier CX-3. Toyota, which has no mini-SUV in its range, fared better with the Corolla, which almost held its own in a market segment that shrank by 10,000 cars.When locally made cars began to slide in popularity, most pundits said it was because they were too big and thirsty, but the figures show otherwise. Large cars are down by 14 per cent this year, but medium and large SUVs have enjoyed solid growth. Toyota's Camry, which has a hybrid version, has fared better than the rest of the locals, but the Holden Cruze small car has experienced a bigger sales slide than Ford's Falcon and Territory. Overall, the prognosis remains bleak. Australians bought almost as many German-made cars as locally-made ones in the first six months.The Europeans are mad for it — and most 4WD utes use it too — but Australians, it seems, don't like getting their hands dirty. After an initial spike in interest in diesel passenger cars and SUVs among private buyers and fleets between 2005 and 2010, the interest continues to wane. Sales of diesel passenger cars grew sixfold from 2005 to 2010, while diesel SUV sales more than doubled. But in the first six months of this year — and on the back of a decline last year — sales of diesel cars fell by more than a quarter. Diesel SUV sales were stagnant despite big growth in overall SUV sales.Honda - up 33.4 per centIsuzu - up 30.3 per centSkoda - up 30.2 per centRenault - up 30.1 per centLexus - up 24.9 per centFord - down 17.6 per centVolvo - down 16.6 per centFiat - down 16.4 per centHolden - down 8.9 per centNissan - down 0.6 per centToyota - 101,714 - up 0.6 per centMazda - 56,591 - up 9 per centHolden - 51,737 - down 8.9 per centHyundai - 50,099 - up 1 per centMitsubishi - 35,866 - up 9.8 per centFord - 34,810 - down 17.6 per centNissan - 32,950 - down 0.6 per centVolkswagen - 32,020 - up 12.1 per centSubaru - 21,659 - up 8.1 per centHonda 20,602 - up 33.4 per centToyota Corolla - 21,750Mazda3 - 20,427Toyota HiLux - 18,781Hyundai i30 - 15,801Ford Ranger - 14,144Holden Commodore - 13,769Mitsubishi Triton - 13,709Mazda CX-5 - 12,489Volkswagen Golf - 11,829Toyota Camry - 10,426

Mazda has announced that a sedan bodystyle will once again be added to the popular Mazda2 range before the end of 2015.The Mazda2 sedan will compete in the light-sedan segment alongside the Honda City and booted versions of the Holden Barina, Hyundai Accent and Toyota Yaris, along with  the smaller Mitsubishi Mirage.The new Mazda2 sedan will feature the same Skyactiv-G four-cylinder petrol engine seen in the existing five-door hatch, with a choice between six-speed manual and auto transmissions.Like the hatch, both 79kW/139Nm 'standard' spec and 81kW/141Nm 'high' spec versions of the engine will be available.Also like the existing hatch, AEB will be available as an option.The previous generation of the Mazda2 was sold as a sedan briefly in 2010.A Scion-badged version of the current model was also unveiled for the US market at last month's LA motor show.For Australia, the new Mazda2 sedan will likely mirror the Neo, Maxx and Genki trim levels of the hatch, with pricing to be announced closer to its on-sale date.

A vote by 75 motoring journalists from 22 countries has awarded the compact prestige car the World Car of the Year award for 2015.It finished on top of a 24-car field and eventually beat the two other finalists, the Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Passat.The other big prizes for 2015, Green Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year, went to the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 and the Mercedes-AMG GT coupe.The winners were announced at the New York Motor Show today at an event hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum at the culmination of a six-month voting process.The C-Class delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.The awards are in their 11th year and previous winners include the Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Lexus LS460 and Volkswagen Golf, Polo and Up.To be eligible for the overall World Car award, candidate cars must have become available for sale on at least two continents between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015.The WCOTY wins by Mercedes-Benz follow its victories in the Green Car contest in 2007 with the E320 Bluetec and 2012 with the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and its Luxury Car success with the S Class in 2014.“We are extremely delighted of winning the honour of World Car of the Year,” says the chairman of Daimler, Dr Dieter Zetsche.The WCOTY victory follows a similar success for the C-Class in the CarsGuide Car of the Year award.The WCOTY judging panel says: “Taking its design and technological cues from the S-Class, the C-Class employs an all-new aluminium/steel hybrid platform and updated rear-drive powertrains that delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.” WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2015Overall winner: Mercedes-Benz C-ClassGreen Car: BMW i8Performance Car: Mercedes-AMG GTLuxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S CoupeDesign: Citroen CactusPREVIOUS WORLD COTY WINNERS:2014: Audi A32013: Volkswagen Golf2012: Volkswagen Up2011: Nissan Leaf2010: Volkswagen Polo2009: Volkswagen Golf2008: Mazda22007: Lexus LS4602006: BMW 3 Series2005: Audi A6

The handbrake got stuck on new cars in January, with sales dipping despite record low interest rates, end-of-year clearance deals and the removal of import tariffs on Japanese vehicles.

Ten contenders, two exhaustive days of testing by six judges...

Mercedes-Benz C-Class wins CarsGuide 2014 Car Of The Year award as sales figures show it outsold the Ford Falcon by almost two-to-one last month.

As the exhaustive COTY drive program starts, CarsGuide covers the market segments — the focus as ever is on testing real cars for real people on real roads.The field for the 2014 Carsguide Car of the Year contest is in the starting blocks.The 10 contenders cover every corner of Australia’s new-car showroom, from baby cars to SUVs and luxury cars to people-movers. There is even a performance car.The COTY favourite is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class but there are dark horses including the updated VW Polo and Toyota Corolla sedan, as well as the classy little Mazda2 that’s a late inclusion for the contest.And then there is the Ford Falcon XR8, an Aussie hero that’s the poster car for the final FG X Falcon.The two-day COTY contest puts them head-to-head with a simple mantra: real cars for real people on real roads.So we’re looking first at value, then everything from safety to comfort, quality and efficiency. It’s the same approach that most people take to their new-car purchase but with a much sharper focus.VW has dominated the COTY results in recent years with the excellent Golf and Polo, which work so well despite unanswered questions about ownership beyond the warranty.But no one knows what will happen when we get down to voting for the biggest prize in Australia motoring.  The contenders are:Ford Falcon XR8From $52,490This is as good as the Falcon gets, as Ford Australia does all it can to make the FG X special for the time it has left as a car maker at Broadmeadows. Ford fans have been calling for the return of the XR8 for years and the best news is the car picks up the 335kW supercharged V8 engine lifted directly from the discontinued FPV GT.Honda Jazz VTiFrom $14,990Honda retreated in the global financial crisis, and has also just axed the Accord Euro that’s been so popular in Australia. Honda played smart by adding a standard rear-view camera to the new Jazz but that’s just the start for a car that’s a genuine step forward.Honda Odyssey VTiFrom $38,990Few Australians buy people-movers but the new Odyssey provides a good reason to look past an SUV. A genuine family van, it is also well equipped and well built. It’s been a long-term success in Australia, despite rivals including the Toyota Tarago and the latest classy Citroen Picasso.Mazda3 NeoFrom $20,490Australia’s favourite car for 2013 got a total makeover for 2014 that includes everything from the SkyActiv powertrain to a new body and chassis. It’s a looker that backs the style with impressive quality and driving dynamics. The Mazda3 take the fight to the Toyota Corolla for sales and the VW Golf for everything else.Mazda2 NeoFrom $15,790More like a condensed Mazda3 than any previous Mazda2, the Japanese company’s new starter car is mini but definitely not tinny. The cabin quality is impressive, it goes well with SkyActiv technology, and the value is up with a price that’s down.Mercedes-Benz C200From $60,900The world’s oldest car maker performed a magic trick with the new C-Class, creating a condensed S-Class limousine that still comes in below the LCT threshold. It’s packed with technology, takes a new approach to luxury cabin design and drives incredibly well in C200 starter form.Nissan Pathfinder hybridFrom $42,990Earlier Pathfinders were a bit rough-and-ready despite their heavyweight credentials but the new model is much more car-like and a serious alternative to a Toyota Kluger or Ford Territory for Australian families. The hybrid package is the icing on the cake.Subaru WRXFrom $38,990The long-term Subaru hero is still a performance bargain. Its user-friendly constantly variable transmission is one of the biggest changes and challenges to the turbocharged pocket rocket. This time around the emphasis has switched from the engine to the chassis in the WRX, a major departure that changes the game.Toyota Corolla sedanFrom $20,740Four-door compacts are not generally as popular as hatches but that has not stopped Toyota from creating a sedan that trumps its five-door variant. It’s a little more expensive but the pay-off comes in greater refinement in a body that works for many downsizers.VW Polo 66TSI$16,290The starter car for VW in Australia following the axing of the Up is a long way better than basic motoring. It goes surprisingly well, has a solid Golf-style feel and meets most of the needs of baby-car buyers. As always, though, we wonder about life beyond the warranty.We’re looking first at value, then everything from safety to comfort, quality and efficiency. It’s the same approach most people take to their new-car purchase but with a much sharper focus.