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2015 Mazda2 To Make Use Of CX-5 Platform: Report

Mazda's new SkyActiv chassis architecture is designed to be versatile. It already underpins the CX-5 and the new Mazda6, not to mention the upcoming 2014 Mazda3, but is it flexible enough to accommodate a car as small as the Mazda2? The folks a


Mazda's new SkyActiv chassis architecture is designed to be versatile. It already underpins the CX-5 and the new Mazda6, not to mention the upcoming 2014 Mazda3, but is it flexible enough to accommodate a car as small as the Mazda2?

The folks at industry mag Just-Auto seem to think so. According to their report, the new Mazda2 will be built on a variation of the CX-5's SkyActiv platform, with much shortening to account for the Mazda2's dramatically smaller proportions.

If the report is true, then that would make the SkyActiv platform one of the most adaptable in the automotive world.

Even Volkswagen concedes that its near-universal MQB platform (which forms the basis from everything from the Mk7 Golf to the upcoming Tiguan to the CrossBlue SUV) is too large for the likes of the Polo.

With versatile platforms like SkyActiv and MQB, often the only shared element is the section of floorpan immediately in front and behind of the firewall. Sections are added either side to allow the platform to grow, and it can be stretched quite easily.

However, width is the issue. Unless the SkyActiv firewall had been designed from the outset with the narrow body of a Mazda2-sized car in mind, it would be difficult - and expensive - to modify it to suit. 

Just-Auto's source also claims that Mazda will move to a four-year life cycle for its upcoming models, down from the usual six or seven. Given the pressure on Mazda to limit costs, this news seems more than a little far-fetched.

We'll find whether both claims are true when the next Mazda2 makes its debut sometime in the next 18 months.

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