If US customers want to buy a new Mazda2, they will have to get it from Toyota.
Mazda has announced it will not sell the Demio, the Japan-market name for the compact hatchback, in the States. Instead, a sedan version originally designed for southeast Asian and South American markets will arrive in Toyota dealerships as the newly unveiled Scion xA.
Speaking with Automotive News, Mazda senior VP Robert Davis cited low gas prices and limited supply from Mazda’s Salamanca, Mexico factory (where the Scion xA is built alongside the Mazda2) as reasons for forgoing the US market. “We would have had a number that didn’t make much sense with 600 dealers and with the marketing it takes to launch a new car,” Davis explained, adding that there were other cars that made more profit for Mazda.
“It’ll always be there if we need it,” Davis added, referring to the fact that the car has already passed federal safety and EPA tests in order to be sold in Puerto Rico.
Internationally, the Mazda Demio has won much acclaim for its fuel economy and fun-to-drive handling. It even secured the coveted Japan Car of the Year award in its home country, ironically described by the voting panel as “a compact car filled with charm and the ability to appeal to the global markets.”
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