Sayonara: the petrol-powered Mazda 2 is no more

The Mazda 2 is no more – at least in petrol-powered form. The dinky supermini is being killed off here in the UK, with its place taken by the slightly more environmentally-friendly Mazda 2 Hybrid, a curiously rebadged Toyota Yaris.

The decision to consolidate all its supermini eggs into one electrified and not-especially-Mazda basket comes as the current third-gen model of the 2 hurtles towards its 11th birthday. The aging ICE version has been crying out for a proper update, but the sales figures haven’t made enough of a business case to keep it. Mazda sold 1,000 more Hybrid versions in the last two years while both options were available.

“We’re moving to Hybrid solely, as that puts us on the right path for our journey to electrification,” a Mazda spokesperson told TopGear.com. “Currently, the Hybrid meets the demands of retail customers, who are not fully committed to making the switch to pure electric.”

Mazda dismissed any suggestion that the rules of the ZEV mandate played a role in the decision. “There’s plenty of flexibility within the framework, so when the industry hit 19.6 per cent against a target of 22 per cent, no carmaker paid penalties using the flexibility of the scheme. 

"We'll meet the requirement of the ZEV/VETS legislation by 2030 and remain penalty-free up to that point through [those] flexibilities...and the introduction of BEVs from 2026.”

Last year, the carmaker made a case for its rotary-based range extender (currently doing slightly strange service in the MX-30 R-EV) and committed to a multi-path approach to electrification, including exploring the potential for e-fuels.

More as we get it, but for now let us mourn the death of yet another supermini. RIP, little 2.