2010 Mazda 2

2010 Mazda 2 Minorchange for first production in Thailand. The Thai-produced Mazda2 will be one of Mazda’s core products in the ASEAN region, with ASEAN sales targeted at approximately 20,000 units per year.

“The Thai-produced Mazda 2 will be a key element in Mazda’s future growth in the ASEAN region, which is continuing to see growing demand for small cars. We consider that the Mazda2 model will also play a pivotal role in Mazda’s global strategy,” said Mazda’s Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer, Masazumi Wakayama, before the ceremony.

Mazda Commences Production of Mazda2 at New Passenger Car Plant in Thailand
HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation today announced that it has commenced production of the Mazda2 (known as Mazda Demio in Japan) at the new passenger car plant at AutoAlliance Thailand Co., Ltd. (AAT), a joint venture manufacturing facility with Ford Motor Company. Mazda2 units produced at AAT will be sold mainly in the ASEAN markets.


To celebrate the start of production, AAT today held a ceremony at the new passenger car plant in Rayong’s Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate. The ceremony was attended by executive officers from Mazda’s head office in Japan, including Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer Masazumi Wakayama and Managing Executive Officer Yuji Nakamine.

“Since its launch, the Mazda2 has received more than 50 awards globally, including Car of the Year in over 20 countries. In 2008, Mazda2 was named World Car of the Year, acclaimed for its beautiful design, sporty driving performance, and outstanding eco-friendly features,” added Wakayama. “I firmly believe that the Mazda2 being built at our state-of-the-art facility in Thailand will make an immense contribution toward establishing the Mazda brand in ASEAN markets and will be our main driving force in the region as we go forward.”

Nissan V-platform

A-platform original named cut cost and cut weight 50 kg off. Nissan has revealed the first details of its new global small car project at a briefing at its new global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan.

The new ‘V-platform’ project has been designed primarily to make financial sense in emerging markets, while being sophisticated enough for Western Europe Nissan V-platform.

The new supermini will sit on all-new Nissan V-platform – the V standing for versatile – which is lighter and roomier than before. It will spawn a saloon model (destined for emerging markets such as India and China) and an MPV too, replacing the popular Note in late 2011.

The Nissan V-platform will underpin cars up to 1600kg in weight and with a maximum torque output of 148lb ft. This means that the largest engine fitted to the family of small cars will be a 1.5-litre turbodiesel unit.

Engineered by Nissan in Japan, the Nissan V-platform project focuses on reductions in both weight and in the number of components that make up the future models.

The V-cars have 18 per cent fewer parts than Nissan’s previous small cars, the company says. The complete dashboard assembly is made up of just 28 parts instead of 56 and the seats are now made up of 50 parts, down from 85.

The V platform’s weight reduction was achieved by reducing the number of components and simplifying the car’s systems – for example, the new exhaust system is 3kg lighter than in the current car, the fuel tank is smaller and 2.2kg lighter, while the number of components that make up the cockpit module were halved.

Nissan says the new car will be very fuel efficient, but would not be drawn if that would mean the car would have engine stop-start technology, or whether a hybrid version would be made, but conceded that this might be possible.

The majority of Nissan V-platform cars will be powered by new ‘low-friction’ three-cylinder engines, which Autocar understands will come in 0.9- and 1.2-litre capacities. It’s possible most versions of the motor will get turbochargers.

Nissan engineers say the combination of lightweight engineering and torquey engines could deliver significantly better fuel economy than rival vehicles.

The company has also engineered a new, very compact, ‘low-friction’ CVT transmission, which has a much higher top ratio than normal.

The V-platform has been primarily engineered for comfort on the demanding roads in emerging markets such as India and China. For Western versions of the V-cars, extra emphasis will be placed on more refinement and body control.

The new model will not be built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, but instead will be produced at a variety of factories in emerging markets including Thailand – where it will be first launched in March 2010 – and India.

This approach will help Nissan to keep costs down – so expect the new Micra to be very competitvely priced when it goes on sale here, most likely just in five-door form (a three-door has yet to be confirmed) in October 2010 as Nissan V-platform.

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