Mazda Motor Corporation today announced that it has commenced production of the Mazda2 (known as Mazda Demio in Japan) at the new passenger car plant at AutoAlliance Thailand Co., Ltd. (AAT), a joint venture manufacturing facility with Ford Motor Company. Mazda2 units produced at AAT will be sold mainly in the ASEAN markets.

The car is being billed as “Zoom-Zoom in its most concentrated form.” The Mazda 2 was first launched in 2007 and was named World Car of the Year at the 2008 New York Auto Show. The new model for 2011 gets a revised, more wedgelike exterior along with the new interior design.

Adopting the styling language now found on the Mazda6, Mazda3, RX-8, MX-5, CX-7 and CX-9, the new Mazda2 gets the same five-point ‘smile’ lower grille and large, vertical foglight housings.

Mazda has upgraded the steering and brake systems, cut weight, improved aerodynamics and achieved better ride quality on the new Mazda 2, which it says “draws much from the legendary MX-5.”

Forward visibility, improved by optimizing the A-pillar shape and lowering the beltline, means the car is “surprisingly open and roomy,” according to Mazda. The instrument panel concentrates controls in the center and curves the edges forward and away from the occupants as another way to give a spacious feeling. Black and silver dominate in the interior color scheme.

Pricing and full specifications on the 2011 Mazda 2 will be announced later, Mazda said.