How the new Mazda2 shed the pounds
Recently we blogged about vehicles getting heavier and the general consensus was that they were better off with the added safety and improved features of a new car. Now we have Mazda, who has managed to remove 100kg from its new Mazda2 supermini over the previous model. With the weight loss the 1.3L and 1.5L models come in at 955kg and 960kg respectively.
Mazda has now released information on how they achieved these savings with better engineering techniques and a smaller overall car. Reducing the size of the new model – another trend bucked – resulted in a 20kg loss, while the removal of some features also contributed another 20kg. The other 60kg was done by reducing the weight of the front seats (2.5kg), suspension (13kg), front speakers (1kg), and the electrical system at 2.9kg.
Reducing weight has resulted in the car achieving better than expected MPG ratings (53MPG on the combined cycle) and also helped improve agility. Now if only someone could implement the same types of programs on, say, a Cadillac Escalade...
[Source: Mazda]
PRESS RELEASE
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.
Source: Mazda
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
naggs 4:00PM (7/22/2007)
this car is easily the most desirable vehicle in its class, mostly because it is the lightest. its a shame it will never be sold here. hopefully this starts a armsrace for lighter and lighter cars.
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Don 7:38PM (7/22/2007)
But the US will never see it as just over 2,000 pounds...not with our politicians need for ungodly amounts of emissions controls and safety systems.
Kash 4:03PM (7/22/2007)
This is why I love Mazda. They do not wait for other companies to start a trend, they just do their own thing.
It's refreshing to see a car company think away from the mainstream and come up with more sane ways of giving the public better MPG, performance, and handling. We do not need lousy hybrid vehicles, we just need to learn to appreciate smaller, lighter cars.
I hope the Mazda 2 starts a new trend in the auto-industry and it spills over stateside.
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cjacker 4:32PM (7/22/2007)
This makes it much easier on the back when me and the boys troll the streets to pick these up and toss them on the flat bed.
Thanks mazda!
$$$
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epp_b 4:48PM (7/22/2007)
Good going, Mazda. It's about time someone made a decent car that doesn't weigh more than a ton-and-a-half.
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indymcsc 4:54PM (7/22/2007)
I thought they were going to sell this in the US. If not, that really sucks.
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smartmlp 5:05PM (7/22/2007)
So basically, what you are saying is, cars are not heavier because it means they are safer, they are heavier because of engineering teams that do not make weight a goal of the car, so they stuff what ever components they have into it even if its heavy or design components of the car heavier then it needs to be.
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cheezwiz 5:11PM (7/22/2007)
Yup. That's basically it.
Heavy doesn't equal safety. Ever see an Escalade crash into a wall at 200MPH and still be safe like an F1 car?
Heavy = poor engineering. Unless it's a truck, maybe.
YouFaceTheTick 5:38PM (7/22/2007)
Yes, poor engineering. Or rather, bean counters interfering with engineering and thus pushing heavier/cheaper components. With the government finally begins pushing cafe standards we'll start seeing "incredible" weight saving technology that's been used in other industries for over a decade.
Bryan 5:08PM (7/22/2007)
Ok seriously some of you on here cannot be called enthusiasts. If you were, you would know that this..and a Ford twin are on the way. Geez people get with the program! Now to the car...honestly, I could care less about teensy cars because no matter what you do, they are going to be unsafe. The focus needs to be made on larger vehicles..which most of the population drives here in the US. When my F150 gets 20mpg in the city then I will be excited.
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rv 5:20PM (7/22/2007)
But this little Mazda is going to be a heck of a lot more fun to drive than any hay bailer. Heavy doesn't equal safe, you "enthusiast", you...
Drewboy 5:51PM (7/22/2007)
Youtube "F150 crash test" and see how safe you feel. Particularly the previous generation F150.
Aetius 5:31PM (7/22/2007)
What exactly do you mean by 'safe'? A small, agile-light car is probably less likely be in an accident or cause one than some 17yr old kid in a Highlander yapping on a cell-phone.
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whofan 6:12PM (7/22/2007)
"Aetius @ Jul 22nd 2007 5:31PM
What exactly do you mean by 'safe'? A small, agile-light car is probably less likely be in an accident or cause one than some 17yr old kid in a Highlander yapping on a cell-phone."
Yes someone gets it. These days we want safer cars to offset ever increasing unsafe drivers with their electronic gadgets. Most of us 15 years ago, got along fine without talking on a cell phone while driving. Almost as bad as driving drunk. How important are these conversations anyway?
3cubedminus3squared 6:07PM (7/22/2007)
Didn't Ford say the '08 Focus would weigh less than the outgoing model?
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FC RX7 Driver 6:48PM (7/22/2007)
Heavy is safe, Ha! That's funny last time I checked momentum is mass X velocity. Smaller cars are brake better and are more agile, side curtain airbags and proper engineering make small cars safer. Gee I wonder which car is more roll resistant? Which will STOP better in low traction? Which is less likely to KILL people on impact? A light car or a tank? Some people need to review physics 101. I hate SUVs because of their mass and volume, not fuel economy (hell I drive a Rotary, so obviously MPG isn't my greatest concern).
I would NEVER want to buy an SUV, though I'll fight for your right to buy one. But if the laws of physics apply then the heavier something is the more like it is to be a death trap to someone, whether it's the poor soul you hit, or you because of the ditch you couldn't stop for or maneuver away from.
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The Other Bob 12:38PM (7/23/2007)
Weight doesn necisarily make a car safer, but it is a huge factor. This is why safety ratings are base on that cars class. Plus safety features are not weightless. Airbags have mass. The metal use in crumple zones weigh more. Euro cars are lighter, but cars like the Opel Corsa cannot be sold here, becuase it would be considered a death trap my our standards. People would go Nader on that car.
If you choose to argue this fact, I would be glad to see you at opposite ends of a roadway for a game of chicken. I will drive a Suburban, you can take a Smart car. I bet you "blink" first.
Rocket Punch 6:55PM (7/22/2007)
Good job Mazda!
Thru clever engineer to achieve weight & material saving. Not only did they created a lighted car without sacrificing safety, combined with the use of recycled materials, small engine; high mpg can be achieved without out some costly "hypebird" system. This car is probably more environmental friendly than any "hypebird" in its class that people can actually afford.
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Dave 7:01PM (7/22/2007)
2100 lbs doesnt sound that light to me for such a tiny car with a 1.3L engine.
My 88 Chevy Nova weighed 2200 lbs with a 1.6 and a whole lot more room.
An 87 Civic sedan weighed 2064 lbs.
A 2007 Ford Focus with a 2.0 litre engine weighs 2600 lbs, but it would dwarf this car.
FWIW - My 95 Mazda Miata weighs 2293 lbs.
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Rocket Punch 7:09PM (7/22/2007)
2100lbs is light, believe me, by todays standard. For more info see the 1 series coupe at www.heavyasscompacts.com