Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mazda2 three-door.

After serenading us with the indie sounds of an obscure band from Europe, Mazda pulled the covers off the new Mazda2 three-door, the next obvious evolution of Mazda's compact offerings. What the squat hatch lacks in presence it makes up for with an aggressive wedge shape, a swooping beltline and a well-proportion rump. While Mazda hyped some of the sporting pretenses of the 'lil hatch, the automaker also focused on it low coefficient of drag (0.31) and it's minuscule emissions. Power is provided by either a MZR 1.3-liter four-cylinder producing 75 hp, the "High-Power" version that shovels out 86 hp or the 1.5-liter four which makes 103 hp. All models are sold with a five-speed manual transmission, including the 1.4-liter MZ-CD diesel.

All the details are available in the press release after the jump and check the gallery below for a host of live and press shots of the Mazda2 three-door.

Click image to enlarge

Add another ride to the list of cars we'd love to have, but can't. Mazda has confirmed that it will unveil the 3-door Mazda2 at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Dimensionally equal to the 5-door and offering the same selection of powertrains, the sporty Mazda2 3-door hatchback definitely takes the win over its sibling in the looks department and is sure to garner a following in Europe. More photos and info are likely to surface as we get closer to Geneva, but to tide us over, Mazda has released the rear three-quarter shot you see here. You can read the automaker's press release after the jump.

[Source: Mazda]