Mazda is to introduce a rebadged version of the Toyota Yaris hybrid in 2022, dubbed the Mazda2 Hybrid and marking the brand’s first full hybrid model.

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Arriving in Europe from the spring, it will be sold alongside the recently launched 2022 Mazda2 and is the latest development in the brand’s long-term technology collaboration with Toyota.

As with the recently launched fourth-gen Yaris, it features a 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain directly derived from the larger 2.0- and 2.5-litre systems introduced in the new Toyota Corolla and RAV4 models. This teams up a three-cylinder Atkinson cycle petrol engine with variable valve-timing and an 80hp electric motor, giving total output of 116hp.

The Mazda2 Hybrid will accelerate from 0-62mph in 9.7 seconds and returns a WLTP combined cycle fuel economy of between 70.6 to 74.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 87-93g/km,  depending on wheel size.

It automatically runs in EV mode on start-up while power allocation is adjusted between the petrol engine and electric motor during normal driving. It also recovers kinetic energy during deceleration and under braking.

Three grades will be offered – Hybrid Pure, Hybrid Agile and Hybrid Select – and the Mazda2 Hybrid will also offer room for up to four adults, as well as 286 litres of boot space, and the same five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating as the Yaris.

It will be sold as a distinctly separate model to the existing Mazda2, which was recently updated, and supports the brand’s work to fulfil the objectives laid out in its ‘Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030’ eco plan, including its aim to reduce corporate average well-to-wheel CO₂ emissions by 50% by 2030 and to go carbon neutral by 2050, by accelerating the electrification of its fleet.