Hey, gas just dropped below $2.90 again so the sale of SUV's and Pickups will skyrocket! We don't need no stinkin little cars!
I crush your little mazda with my Silverado!

Seriously though, not a bad lookin little ride.

Reminds of an Aveo from that angle. Of course I always wonder what the "not shown" side of the car looks like. is the front that hideous?

You can find pictures of it, I don't think it looks much like a Chevy Aveo, actually I think it's a terrible insult to this car to compare it with the Aveo.

I think it looks like the Mazda 3 in a lot of area's so IMHO it's a very good looking little car and it would do well over here if they released it.

I normally don't like the look of cars in this category, but this one looks good (at least from the one angle they show us).

Just click on the " 2008 Mazda 2 " link in the Related Stories and you will see what it looks like. I think it is a cute little car and the fact that it is offered with a small turbo deisel is great. If this thing even came state side I would get one. Nice little zippy car that can park anywhere in the city and still carry stuff in the hatch.

If only it wasn't a hatch........if that was a coupe, I'd sell both my kidneys for someone to illegally import a diesel version for me.

@ Remy LeBeau:

But your urine removing equipment will add too much weight, thereby defeating the entire purpose... plus you probably wouldn't live to see the next model.

@SEALBoy:
I'd do the same as Remy, and the point is at least we would've died happy.

Seriously, whats wrong with bringing cars like this to the US? The pedestrian drivers who have a car because they need one would eat it up, and other drivers would be drawn in at the concept of VW Golf CDI like fuel economy at a lower price.

Seriously, why are we in the US considered so lame that we cannot get a decent small car over here?

Bring it to the US. Please. I'm not going to be happy if I have to buy a Ford Fiesta and try to pry all the Ford emblems off and try to make the Mazda3 emblems look normal...

Aveo doesn't look anything like this.

If I were to draw a comparison, it reminds me of an early-mid 1990's Honda Civic hatch ... just less square.

Like this, without kit obviously:

http://www.m-99.co.uk/Car_Bodykits/Honda_Civic/civic_body_kit.jpg

Still love my 1997 Chevy Camaro Z28, "eats gas, eats rubber"

I wonder if this car shares any designs or structural components with the Ford Ka??

Allen:

The real questing is why would we want such a lame car? Mazda seems to know that it wont sell over here.

Allen:

The real questing is why would we want such a lame car? Mazda seems to know that it wont sell over here.

It won't sell in the US cause you give a shit about the environment. Well, most of you... or the Bush' supporters, dare I say. There's just not enough focus on it compared to europe, where in Denmark 1 litre of fuel costs 2$. Also, you have other car traditions than us. Big engines, although most doesn't really need them, and so on. Here we bike alot, something that's unthinkable for many americans. Yes it's a shame but that's how the world is and Mazda knows it.

I agree with jonas mazda just like other companies only give certain countries certain cars and models that will fit the majorities lifestyle or other wise!!!!!! i don't mind hehe i am satisfied with the great rx-8 and rx-7!!!!!! (wish there was someone with an rx-7 for sale though)

IMHO, what the US really misses out on isen't japboxes like this but the beutifully comfortable ride in Citroens with their gashydraulic suspension system.
USA- the #1 car-country boucing along on steel springs...
(no I'm not paid by Citroen, just a happy Citroen owner in Sweden)

"IMHO, what the US really misses out on isen't japboxes like this but the beutifully comfortable ride in Citroens with their gashydraulic suspension system."
True. But it doesn't miss out on the shitty reliability and build quality of french cars. Enough of that's made domestically.

The simple reason they don't bring cars like this over here is economics.

The list price for these cars are fairly low, once you add EPA certification, NHSTA testing, shipping, marketing and all the other little add ons the price is no longer competitive. I don't know what the capacity of the plants that make them is. There may not be enough excess capacity to provide a "usable" stock for US consumption. That is assuming they are not manufactured on US soil which would add a whole new layer of complexity and cost.

Compound that with American's love of big gas guzzling cars and all of a sudden it doesn't look very profitable to bring these little buggers over. Until gas gets to $5 a gallon the US consumer will not change his/her ways. I should know I'm looking at replacing got a V6 sedan with a V8 SUV soon due to the kids and dogs.

"I should know I'm looking at replacing got a V6 sedan with a V8 SUV soon due to the kids and dogs."

You do know they make V6 versions of minivans and SUV's that will more than account for your "needs"...

Yeah, around here people don't seem to mind gas prices as I still see behemoth SUVs all over. I would fear for my safety riding around in a little econobox amongst all the battleships.

I'll sell my RX7 in a heartbeat. $2,500.00 US

I'd love to drive a small car, and I do. But this thing looks gay. I want a small rwd hatchback (the smart is too small...), Not this thing.

Bring back the 240sx!

sabby:
You do know they make V6 versions of minivans and SUV's that will more than account for your "needs"...

I'm not going there, its too tough to explain my situation right now but basically I have a good price on a lightly used V8 (less than half the price of a new V6 model) and only a 2 MPG difference.

BTW I already own a V8 sports car that gets avg 20 MPG and 28 on the hwy thanks to my custom tuning and my daily driver is a I4 that gets 35 MPG. I'm no tree hugger but I do what I can to use less gas mainly for selfish reasons.

Not all Americans want, like, or drive big gas-guzzling trucks and suvs. There was a time when alot of people did, but times are changing. The younger generation are more environmentally conscious and aren't buying behemoths like their parents did.

While biking everywhere may be a good idea in some countries it's not a good idea in others. I'm not going to bike 20 miles to my job everyday but I do try and drive at the most fuel-efficient speed possible on the highway.

Unless you hav sextuplets there's no reasonto buy an SUV. If you have 2 kids + 2 adults +a dog that = 5. A sedan has 5 seats. I don't see the reason to get an SUV unless your dog's a great dane, mastiff, or some other ridiculously large dog and even then you can get a crossover that's more efficient.

What it comes down to is that everyone has different automotive needs. Education is the best way to determine if you're meeting them or exceeding them to the point where you're wasting money. No 1 auto manufacturer is perfect, just how no 1 country's way of thinking toward vehicles is perfect but they're always improving, trying to obtain perfection, and while that will never happen for any one country or person, things can only get better because of it.

This car would sell like crazy in Canada. Bring it over!!!

This car would sell like crazy in Canada. Bring it over!!!

D!:

Unless you hav sextuplets there's no reasonto buy an SUV. If you have 2 kids + 2 adults +a dog that = 5. A sedan has 5 seats. I don't see the reason to get an SUV unless your dog's a great dane, mastiff, or some other ridiculously large dog and even then you can get a crossover that's more efficient.

Try to get two kids in car seats and a 90 lb dog into a sedan. Hell you can't even get two car seats in most sedans and have enough leg room in the front for two people over 6' tall.
Trust me I'm not real happy about the options in the car market right now, there really aren't any that fit my needs.

With gas prices being so high and getting higher and with small cars gaining popularity, it would be great to see this in the USA. There are other cars that are about that size being sold in the USA.

A lot of times that cars sold in Europe don't make it to the States is that they either can't pass emissions, and/or safety requirements for the US market.

Diesels sound like their great for efficiency, but they belch soot and a lot of crap has to be put on the exhaust to cut down the particulate pollution. I find the soot polution worse than CO2, which deisels emit as well.

So, maybe Europeans like crumply unsafe vehicles that fill the air with soot. I don't know.

Rakdon:

Its funny, but when I was a lad I fit into my parents Pontiac Grand Prix, at the age of 18 and being 6'2, just fine. We had a dog, Bart, a Lab/Golden Retriever mix, and I had sister that was 17. We all fit just fine for long trips from Maryland to Georgia. I also had a few more brothers and a few sisters from my dads first marriage, but they were all out of college by the time I turned 18.

Please, do not tell me you are considering at least remotely a full-size SUV. That is just plain rediculous for two kids and a dog. Today, I can fit my cousins three kids, and both their cats in the back of my 5 series. They do not need to have acres of space on long trips, just enough that they breath and eat and possibly use my vid screens in the headrests, if they are good kids and shut up most of the way. And they do not complain about me listening to old NWA albums.

And have you ever been off-stateside? Somehow those genius people over in Great Britian, France, Germany, Italy, none of whom live in mudhuts (as you must assume they do), manage to have two kids or more all in a car the size of a Ford Fusion quite comfortably, and without complaint. I wonder, are they smaller than us? No, a report came out just some time ago that found most European males are now taller than American males on average, with the average American male being 5'11 and the average Netherlands male being 6'3. How do they do it then? Do they fold up and get all compacty when they get in their cars? No, they just realize they don't need an acre of space in every car everywhere they go.

@Jake:
Just what bullshit company do you work for? General Motors? Have you driven a Mercedes Bluetec? Or a Golf TDI? They do not belch soot or sulfur anymore, thanks to low sulfur diesel and cleaner engines plus better particulate filters. And like hell they are unsafe, statistically more deaths occur in SUVs every year in America than in cars. The Ford Excursion has one of the worst fatality records on the books in history!

Also, maybe the roads would be safer if drunk rednecks like yourself would stop driving ridiculously ostentatious vehicles like these massive pickups. Honestly, to pull a bass boat (average weight is like 3000lbs) you need a mid-size truck like a Dakota or Tacoma. Even a 29 foot boat like some of the more common Bayliners only weigh 5600 lbs, and you can still pull those with a mid size.

Stop using these massive trucks to look "Texas Tough" and make your dick feel bigger. Anyone, other than those who work construction or agriculture, who can find a need for a full-size is at least a prick, at most an absolute asshole.

And this is coming from a guy that drives a BMW as his daily driver. Honestly, this makes Truck drivers an asshole's asshole.

"The younger generation are more environmentally conscious and aren't buying behemoths like their parents did."

You obviously don't look at what most younger people drive. The typical 16-30 year old wants a bigass SUV because some idiot rapper says they're cool. I can't recall the last time I heard someone in the 16-30 range (other than myself) say they wanted a small car.

The myspace/facebook generation may more environmentally aware but they are also the laziest with no sense of personal responsibility. Remy is spot on about want they if they could afford them.

Allen:

The reason Europeans don't drive bigger cars is they can't afford them. The wealthy drive gas guzzlers. While Europe certainly has more misguided environmental extremist the nations are actually less environmentally friendly. Emissions standards are stricter in the states. On a per industry basis I bet the pollute more as well.

So do you actually believe if a SUV and this Mazda collide that you have a better chance of survival in the Mazda?

Lastly I like small cars but as an American I respect the choices of others and you should too. If you can't handle that you could move to Europe, I doubt you could afford to drive that BMW though.

There is absolutely no reason to build small cars with internal combustion engines. They all need to plug in electric. These things are nice golf carts.
Al Gore should buy one for every American, with his own money.

They are cute, but I could never get caught dead in one.

Why dont you fagz shut up with the same old boring fag talk about the united states?!...lol...its just a Mazda2 MORONS!!

and people call me stupid...lol

nice car by the way...i wouldnt mind having one to run around in my ranch...

I am from Ohio I also drive a small car for work commuting. I have about a 23 mile drive to work each day. I also have 4 kids (2 step kids, 2 are mine) and a large Labrador. So as a result I have two vehicles. One small car for going back and forth to work and a 2001 Chevy Venture.

An SUV even a large one would be impractical. Its much easier to put child seats in a van vs. an SUV in my wifes opinion. To me the only advantage over an SUV for the mini van is the electric sliding doors and better fuel mileage.

I drive a 2006 Hyundai Tiburon 4 cylinder/manual. Like most Americans I wish the car had more power but it does get fairly decent gas mileage.

Ok enough about me. If Mazda sold this car in the United States I would definitely test drive this car and if the price was comparable to its competition (or even a little higher). I would likely trade in the Tiburon.

probably wouldnt get much for tiburon lol ;p

bottom line: Gasoline in Europe is really and I mean really expensive. Poland is over double the price we have here. UK probably more than that. Yikes! So now double or more what you pay for gas weekly, trade in that SUV and buy a corolla, and you're back to your original ;p hence why Europe gets small cars. That doesn't mean they have to be ugly either. If all Americans learned to drive stick a tcylinder motor would be enough, even at 1.4 liter. Sit in a sentra auto/manual.... geez. ;p

Allen:
Thanks for assuming I've never been out of the states but you'd be wrong. As I said the problem isn't the number or size of the kids or dog but the size of the child seats. Especially REAR facing seats which push my wife and I (both 6') into the dash. There are other circumstances which I don't care to discuss at this time.

Minivans are an alternative, please tell me who makes them anymore? Ford (nope), GM (nope) Chrysler (one model) Honda (one model). I'm sure there are some other brands I'm not thinking of but simply put, for my current needs, I have found my best match in a semi full sized SUV. Alas it is only available with a V8. I have made my selection and thats what makes America great, I am free to choose whatever I can afford.

It would make an excellent commuter car. Great mileage, and you could zip in and out of tight traffic. Sightlines look pretty good. Take the money you save and get a fun car for the weekends, or a utility vehicle if you must. Just my $0.02.

As an aside, one of my cars is a small commuter and I have no qualms getting close to SUVs and driving around and past them. They are so big and sluggish in comparison. It would be wise to stay out of their blind spots with any vehicle, of course. They remind me of whales without sonar, and I'm the dolphin.

My thing is this: if your commute is more than 20 miles one way, in rush hour, you should have a commuter car. You're paying the same money anyway, so why not reduce the addiction to Mideast oil, if nothing else? Besides, big vehicles usually slow down traffic. Support these types of vehicles please.

@Radkon

The outside dimensions of the vehicles do not have a 1:1 relationship with the passanger space inside the vehicle.

There are of course other companies making Minivans. You've made your choice thats great everyone can make their own choices. But freedom of choice does not mean freedom of choice without criticism. If you're man enough to make your choice and share your opinion, then you need to be man enough to take the criticism for your bad choices. If you can't take that criticism then you probably shouldn't be making choices.

A v8 4x4 suv you'll pay more on payments, more on insurance, more on upkeep, more on fuel, have lower quality, less room, and lower resale value. Than a minivan. But man you won't look like a lame soccer mom. Oh wait all the soccer moms drive suvs now. Thats a brilliant choice.

Also way to bring it up in a thread about a small car. Probably trying to justify your purchase by putting down cars that other people want to buy. So what freedom of choice is only good if its a choice between vehicles you're interested in? People who don't want to average 16mpg just have to buy a pos cobalt and be happy with it? I think you've gotten freedom of choice confused with its all about me.

Hope you feel much better about your gas hog now.

D!:

Unless you hav sextuplets there's no reasonto buy an SUV. If you have 2 kids + 2 adults +a dog that = 5. A sedan has 5 seats. I don't see the reason to get an SUV unless your dog's a great dane, mastiff, or some other ridiculously large dog and even then you can get a crossover that's more efficient.

I think some people forget that others actually use trucks/suv's for more than just getting around, like towing things. If a family has a boat that they take out on the weekends over the summer, it really doesnt make sense to make truck/insurance payments on a vehicle you otherwise wouldnt use. (but have to have) It would cost more to make payments on two vehicles than just put extra gas in the truck/suv.

@alex

No sense in paying extra in fuel costs every single day when you could rent a vehicle to tow the boat. For the 3 to 4 times max a year that most tow and launch their large boats. Small boats and water craft can be towed by almost anything, even a mini.

@mf

Yeah, I knew that would be brought up and for some that may be a good option. Though only using a boat 3-4 times a year would be a waste of a boat! Most people who own one though (that I know anyways) live on a lake and just tow it in/out once a year. IMO the capabilites of a larger truck is worth it. Where can you rent a truck anyway? Im sure hertz or someplace has them.