A MAJOR car brand has discontinued its supermini in the UK after 10 years but has its replacement already lined up.
Mazda confirmed its Mazda 2 petrol supermini can no longer be ordered brand new, with just a “few hundred” examples left in showrooms across the UK.
The motor landed on our roads in April 2015 and quickly earned praise for being fun to drive, and for its smart cabin and pace.
Despite two face-lifts in 2019 and 2013, which both added extra tech to the compact car, the car’s near ten-year run in UK sales has finally come to an end.
But, not all hope is lost as the Japanese carmaker confirmed the 2’s successor, the Mazda 2 Hybrid, would be naturally taking its place.
Mazda did not explain why the vehicle was cancelled, but a spokesperson told Autocar: “As we move towards increased electrification of our cars, the Mazda 2 Hybrid meets consumer demand in the B-segment and is a step in our journey to ensure all our cars have some form of electrification by 2030.”
The Mazda 2 Hybrid is almost identical to the Toyota Yaris, and is a nimble and agile compact motor.
It comes with a 1.5L, three-cylinder petrol engine as well as an electric motor and battery.
Its engine produces 116bhp and can go from 0-62mph in 9.7 seconds, with a top speed of 109mph.
The front-wheel drive motor emits just 92g/km of CO2 and received a five star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2020.
While the age of the Mazda 2 may have been a reason behind its axing, the automaker was likely also encouraged by the government’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
This scheme aims to pressure car makers to gradually increase their sales of electric vehicles (EVs) from 80 per cent in 2030 up to 100 per cent by 2035.
At present, mainstream manufacturers across the UK are each assigned a total carbon “credit” allowance annually.
These levels are based on a carmakers total sales in the previous year as well as the average CO2 emissions of the petrol, diesel and hybrid cars it sold in 2021.
However, if a company cuts its CO2 emissions to below this allowance level, it can convert its “credits” into sales that count towards its ZEV targets.
Car giants have been trying to convince the Government to soften these rules, amid fears of factory closures and job losses.
The ZEV scheme requires car makers to have 28 per cent of their sales come from electric vehicles by the end of this year and have phased out petrol cars by 2030 or face hefty fines.
Mazda will likely be feeling some pressure to achieve these targets, as it will only offer one EV in the UK – the MX-30 crossover – until the arrival of the 6e saloon next year.
The MX-30 comprised just 5 per cent of the carmaker’s UK sales in 2024, far short of the ZEV mandate target of 22 per cent last year, according to Autocar.
This comes a Peugeot is reportedly considering bringing back a new, electrified version of its much-loved 208 GTi hatchback.
Top boss Alain Favey said he has been thinking about reviving the hot hatch.
He said bringing back the GTi version was “a question I’ve been asking myself very much”, Autocar reports.
When asked if there would ever be an electrified version of 208GTi, Favey said: “I am very eager to connect the Peugeot brand with what it stands for to its past, to its heritage in every sense.
“So we will look back at what the heritage of the brand is and we will see to what extent this can be adapted to the modern world – and there is nothing excluded in our review of this and certainly not the GTi badge, for sure.”
