To help hype its 40th year in the US, Mazda released this small teaser image of its new small car, the 2011 MAZDA2, that will debut Dec. 2 at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. It’s slated to go on sale in the US in late 2010.

MAZDA2 has been a sales and media success in markets around the world, winning 48 awards and being recognized as Car of the Year in more than 20 countries. Additionally, MAZDA2 was named “2008 World Car of the Year,” besting all other new cars around the world.

“Bringing MAZDA2 to North America completes the bookends in our lineup,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, Mazda North American Operations. “With the seven-passenger crossover CX-9 at one end and the subcompact MAZDA2 at the other, Mazda’s lineup now spans the most significant product segments in the industry, and is the strongest, best-designed, best-built we have ever offered. MAZDA2 will be true to everything that makes our cars stand apart from the competition: it will be stylish, fun-to-drive and a heck of a value. In short, it will be the definition of Zoom-Zoom.”