Of Mazdas and MINIs

The Mazda2 is coming while the new MINI Roadster is revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Bigger than a breadbox, better than a toaster

May of us are big fans of small cars here at LotPro.com. But just like their bigger brethren, the small cars that most excite us are those that go above and beyond the run-of-the-mill transport appliances that seem to be the mission of so many.

Two manufacturers that regularly peg the fun needle to “full” are Mazda and BMW’s MINI brand. Mazda has taken its “zoom-zoom” philosophy to heart by building small, zippy, affordable vehicles that rival those costing nearly twice as much from other automakers.

At the same time, BMW’s MINI division has resurrected a brand and brought a whole new level of style and luxury (at least here in the U.S.) to the minicompact segment.

Both automakers were in the spotlight this past week as BMW finally revealed its MINI Roadster Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show and Mazda detailed its plans to bring the Mazda2 to the U.S.

MINI Roadster Concept

We’ll start first with the sizzle. Prior to its unveiling, BMW had already confirmed that the MINI Roadster is slated to be produced alongside the current Hatch, Clubman and Convertible at the company’s Plant Oxford at the same time the MINI Coupé version will begin its model run.

But why produce a roadster when the MINI lineup already features a convertible? The obvious answer is the fact that, sans the rear seats, the MINI Roadster Concept allows for more storage room (who sits back there in the convertible, anyway?), and that in top-down mode, the look of the new MINI is far more appealing (the top stows neatly away as opposed to being stacked, accordion-like, behind the rear seats). As an added bonus, losing the rear seats means that the trunk now contains 8.8 cubic feet of storage space (up from 5.7 in the sedan and 6.0 in the convertible).

Mazda2

Earlier this week, Mazda North America president Jim O’Sullivan announced that the company would be selling its B-segment Mazda2 here in the U.S. beginning late next year.

“You’ve asked us for it for a while now, and we’ve been studying the market to make sure we can make a business case for it across North America,” O’Sullivan told the assembled dealers. “As consumers’ tastes and attitudes toward small vehicles have changed, we now believe strongly there is a place in our lineup for a car below our current least-expensive car, the MAZDA3. MAZDA2 will be true to everything that makes our cars stand apart from the competition: it will be stylish, fun-to-drive and a heck of a value. In short, it will be Zoom-Zoom.”

With Ford bringing its Fiesta over here next year and the fact that the two vehicles share the same basic architecture, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion that, with the current dearth of  imaginative products in the B-segment available to American buyers, it makes sense to bring the Mazda2 to market over here, as well.

No further details were released, other than to note that the Mazda2 will make its debut at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Tags: BMW, fiesta, Ford, frankfurt motor show, los angeles auto show, mazda, mazda2, mazda3, MINI, mini coupe, mini roadster, mini roadster concept