Autoblog

Late Sunday night, Mazda issued a press release from the mothership in Japan touting the arrival of the new home-market AZ-Wagon kei car. Those of you who paid attention to Autoblog last week may be experiencing twinges of deja vu as you look at the enclosed photos. Yes, you have seen this car before: the new Mazda AZ-Wagon is simply a rebadged version of the new Suzuki Wagon R, just like it was before. The regular AZ-Wagon is the standard Wagon R, while the AZ-Wagon Custom Style (above) is the Wagon R Stingray. We'd happily sign up for one, but alas, Mazda's Stateside rebadge-o-rama is limited to the Tribute and B-Series.


[Source: Mazda]

Click image for one more high-res photo

Behold Mazda's new kei car, the AZ-Wagon. Like its predecessors, the new AZ is simply a rebadged Suzuki Wagon R. In this case, the donor vehicle is the just-introduced Wagon R Stingray, which eschews the standard Wagon R face in favor of a more squared-off ,Toyota bB/Scion xB-like (last-gen, that is) appearance.

Since the AZ-Wagon is a straight rebadge, all the features of the Stingray can be found here, including HID headlamps, black cloth interior, premium audio system (for the turbocharged, direct-injected Custom Style DI model), and keyless entry and start. Unlike its Suzuki twin, the Mazda gets only two kei-spec engines. The Custom Style DI gets the top-end 64 horsepower direct-injected 4-banger, while the Custom Style X receives a normally-aspirated 54-horse 3-cylinder with VVT. (Suzuki buyers get the added choice of a non-direct-injected turbo engine.)

As is always the case, 2WD and AWD are available for both trim levels. The only available transmission is a 4-speed auto. Complete details and pricing can be found after the jump.

[Source: Mazda]