Report: Mazda could be preparing to duke it out with a Mini Cooper competitor

Word in the pipeline via CarsGuide is that Mazda could be preparing its 2015 Mazda2 as a competitor to the Mini Cooper and the Citroen DS3 in Europe.

It’s rumored to be named the Verisa and will be built as an upscale version to the new Mazda2. Not much is known, the but report hails in from Japan and speaks for their market, with indications of including the European market.

We’ve been receiving the Mazda2 for quite sometime, since 2010 to be exact, though that model itself has been with us since 2007. That said, a new Mazda2 is indeed due very shortly. There weren’t any indications as to whether or not the US will receive this Mini Cooper competitor, but a high-performance diesel model is also rumored, sporting the brand’s latest 2.2L SKYACTIV-D engine.

Source: CarsGuide