Posted on Monday 3 March 2008
Compact hatchbacks have for long sold poorly in the U.S. but with fuel prices rising and customers shifting to smaller cars a number of carmakers have revealed their desires to bring the economical runabouts Stateside. Mazda is one such company, and is currently considering adding its Mazda2 hatch to its North American lineup.
In addition to the new hatch, Mazda is also studying plans for selling diesel engines in the U.S. for the first time. The news comes from Mazda’s U.S. Chief Jim O’Sullivan, who spoke recently with TheCarConnection. “We’re not ready to make the announcement but obviously we sell diesels in Europe,” O’Sullivan said during a recent interview. “The Mazda2 is extremely successful in Europe and Asia. We’re continuing to watch that space in North America.”
For now Mazda is concentrating on finishing the launch of CX-9 and preparing for the revamped Mazda5 and next-generation Mazda6. But O’Sullivan said there was a lot of promise for both C and B segment models. “We see the car market here in the United States becoming more like the European market. By that I mean C cars are continuing to grow and B cars are becoming more prominent than ever before,” he said.
Ford has already confirmed it would launch a U.S.-specific version of the new Fiesta hatch, which the Mazda2 is based on, but that car will likely be a sedan so as to leave the market open for a compact Mazda hatch.
once again, this site is the only one that i’ve seen reporting that we wont be getting the hatch.
needless to say, the ford hatch is much nicer inside and out, or at least stands a very good chance of being better. and i couldn’t see myself in a B segment SEDAN, so this is all a shame. then again, by the time my focus lease is up, the next gen focus would be out…….
i can only hope that the focus comes in a hatch, and that it’s just as hot as the fiesta hatch concept…. oh and AWD.
Oh PLEASE Mazda. Please! Pretty Please! With cherries and junk?
I’ll forgive you for building rotaries that explode!
I’ll take one.
My only worry: does “Stateside” also mean Canada?
adam; you bet your arse. infact often times we get more vehicles than the USA… with exception the the toyota MR2 and everything mercury.
but we got the smart car years before USA had it, and we even get some chevrolets that the USA doesnt get.
expect this to come here. if the USA gets it, then we should get it. especially if the author is correct and the fiesta will only come in sedan form.
Ah, but we didnt get the Evo for years, and we almost didn’t get the new GTR.
I just think this thing looks great and is likely perfect for me!
interesting.. thats all news to me.. maybe living near a boarder town sways my influence.. i see a lot of STis and Evos around
I would love to have a new Mazda2 sedan. Give it good-size engine, the Mazda driving characteristics, a moonroof and a six-disc cd changer (Hyundai Accents come w/a changer) and I’ll buy two. I commute a ways to work and a small, fun-to-drive car is just what I want.