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11 February 2003: Mazda is talking with Suzuki and 'other manufacturers of small cars' with a view to them providing the Ford-owned company with a sub-supermini car.

But no decision has yet been made on whether there will be a Mazda1 to complement the upcoming Mazda2 supermini (left).

However, because of the increasing importance of C02 figures in car taxation, it is likely that there will be a smaller car than the Mazda2, if only because that will allow the company to manufacture larger cars at the other end of its reange.

Increasingly, carmakers have to provide a 'composite' C02 figure across their whole range, in order to meet emissions regulations. Those who don't have a small car to compensate for their large models face penalties.

In the US, a similar system based on mpg has prevailed for a number of years, particularly in environmentally-conscious states such as California.

This has benefited some makers who have been able to provide unusually economical cars in their range, such as Toyota with its hybrid Prius.

The ‘true’ mini group segment only represents 2.1 per cent of the total car market here in Ireland - compared to the supermini's 23.3 per cent - and last year was led by the Fiat Seicento and Ford’s Ka. Other active contenders are Citroen’s Saxo, Opel’s Agila, and Daewoo’s Matiz.

	February 2003 - by Trish Whelan
Mazda talking about 1 series car 11 February 2003: Mazda is talking with Suzuki and 'other manufacturers of small cars' with a view to them providing the Ford-owned company with a sub-supermini car. But no decision has yet been made on whether there will be a Mazda1 to complement the upcoming Mazda2 supermini (left). However, because of the increasing importance of C02 figures in car taxation, it is likely that there will be a smaller car than the Mazda2, if only because that will allow the company to manufacture larger cars at the other end of its reange. Increasingly, carmakers have to provide a 'composite' C02 figure across their whole range, in order to meet emissions regulations. Those who don't have a small car to compensate for their large models face penalties. In the US, a similar system based on mpg has prevailed for a number of years, particularly in environmentally-conscious states such as California. This has benefited some makers who have been able to provide unusually economical cars in their range, such as Toyota with its hybrid Prius. The ‘true’ mini group segment only represents 2.1 per cent of the total car market here in Ireland - compared to the supermini's 23.3 per cent - and last year was led by the Fiat Seicento and Ford’s Ka. Other active contenders are Citroen’s Saxo, Opel’s Agila, and Daewoo’s Matiz.
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