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The all-new Mazda2 is the
product of a lightweight mindset
at Mazda’s R & D community.
Engineers are striving to reduce
the vehicle weight of new Mazda
products as a way to lower fuel
consumption and CO2
emissions, while continuing to
deliver the agile handling and
safety attributes Mazda
customers expect.
The new Mazda2 is a milestone in
this respect: almost 100 kg
lighter than the previous
Mazda2, it reverses the trend
towards ever-heavier vehicles
while being safer and even more
fun to drive.
Engineering solutions achieved
60 percent of this weight
saving, including the savings in
the body shell, which has an
optimised structure and uses
high and ultra-high tensile
steels for less weight, with
greater rigidity and better
crash resistance. Another 20
percent were saved by features
adjustments and 20 percent by
making the car’s exterior
dimensions smaller – while
employing skilful packaging to
retain generous interior
dimensions.
Mazda2 engineers reduced weight
by:
-
use of high and ultra-high
tensile steels for lighter
(and stronger) body and
joint reinforcements
-
shortening the trailing arm
of the rear suspension and
giving the front lower arms
an open-section design
-
making the bonnet striker
assembly smaller, the hinges
thinner
-
eliminating the underfloor
catalyst (1.3-litre model)
-
moving the fresh-air inlet
to the top of the radiator
shroud (doing away with the
need for a resonator and
baffle)
-
making the wiring harness
shorter
-
changing the door-mounted
speaker magnets to neodymium
types and making the plastic
moulding single-piece
-
decreasing the length of the
vehicle by 40 mm and height
by 55 mm
These weight-saving measures
make the new Mazda2 a
trendsetter for fuel efficiency
and low CO2
emissions. It delivers some of
the B-segment’s lowest fuel
consumption, from just 52.3 mpg
on the combined cycle, while
producing just 129 g/km of CO2. |
