MAZDA 2 BECOMES LATEST VICTIM OF SUPERMINI CULL

Audi AI also among latest class casualties, following Ford Fiesta's demise

- CHARLIE MARTIN

There will soon be just 10 pure-petrol superminis left on sale in the UK, the Mazda 2 having been axed after a decade on sale and the Audi AI being due to retire.

The 2 was launched in 2015 and was a steady seller in the UK, with facelifts in 2019 and 2023 helping to keep it competitive.

It is effectively replaced by the Mazda 2 Hybrid, a rebadged Toyota Yaris that was launched in 2023.

Mazda has declined to specify why it has taken the petrol 2 off sale, but the ongoing cull in the segment is a product of several factors that have hampered the business case for small cars.