The Mazda2 has been selected as the 2008 World Car of the Year.

The Mazda2 has been voted the 2008 World Car of the Year.

From an initial entry list of 39 new vehicles from all over the world, the 2008 title was announced at the New York International Auto Show. The Mazda2 edged out the Ford Mondeo and Mercedes-Benz C-Class to take the overall award.

Based on the recommendations of a design panel consisting of four highly respected world design experts, the Mazda2 was also voted by the jurors onto the short-list of top three design finalists, together with the Audi R8 and Volvo C30.

The World Car of the Year awards were officially launched in January 2004 and are organised and conducted by automotive journalists from all over the world. A jury of 47 international automotive journalists selected the overall winner by secret ballot, based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work. The jury members constitute a balance of representation from Asia, Europe, North America, South America, as well as other parts of the world.

Since it first went on sale in 2003, the Mazda2 has enjoyed widespread popularity due to its convenient size and superb storage and functionality. The second generation Mazda2 was introduced in Japan in July 2007, and soon gained popularity thanks to its fun-to-drive attributes and the emphasis Mazda placed on the new generation's level of environmental and safety engineering coupled to great design. The new Mazda2 reflects these emerging modern attitudes with stylish exterior design complemented by low running costs and excellent fuel economy, achieved by reducing the vehicle's weight by approximately 100 kilograms.

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