Mazda is now taking orders for the new Toyota Yaris-based 2 Hybrid supermini, ahead of customer deliveries beginning in May.
It's available in a choice of three trims, like the Yaris - but with prices starting from £20,300 it is actually £520 cheaper than the car on which it is based. The pure-combustion Mazda 2 will continue to be sold for now, priced from £16,575.
The entry-level Pure car wears 15in steel wheels and contrasting black lower body cladding. Standard equipment includes rain-sensing windscreen wipers, LED rear lights, smartphone integration, a 7.0in touchscreen and radar cruise control.
Mid-rung Agile bumps the price up to £21,150, adding alloy wheels, a larger infotainment screen and a reversing camera, while the range-topping Select trim costs £23,610 and ticks every option box.
The 2 Hybrid the first production Mazda to arrive as part of a new electrified vehicle partnership between Toyota and Mazda. It will be built and supplied by Toyota but marketed exclusively as a Mazda model.
The first full hybrid to join Mazda's line-up, it will sit alongside mild-hybrid versions of the 2, 3, CX-30 and CX-5 and will eventually be joined by the brand's first plug-in hybrids, which are due from 2023.
The powertrain is carried over from the Yaris Hybrid, pairing a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine with a single electric motor for a total system output of 114bhp. It will get from 0-62mph in 9.7sec and reach a top speed of 109mph.
The new 2 Hybrid is capable of up to 74mpg on the WLTP combined cycle while emitting between 87g/km and 93g/km of CO2.
Like the Yaris, it starts automatically in EV mode and can be driven with the engine off for short distances at low speeds. It's also equipped with regenerative-braking technology.
While Mazda takes the Yaris as the base for the 2 Hybrid in Europe, Toyota has previously marketed the existing 2 as the Yaris in North America.
