On the Auto Show circuit this year Mazda unveiled their Mazda 2. While the term sub-compact seems to be auspiciously absent in any press releases or coverage on the Mazda 2 its size and shape seems to harken back to some cars that were at one time the darlings of fuel efficiency. Instead of being called a sub-compact marketing strategists are prefering to call them B-cars.

Where those cars left off the new Mazda 2 begins anew and with more style than any of the cars from yester-year. If any comparison could be applied to the Mazda 2 it would be to refer to it as a shrunken CX-7 or a shortened Mazda 3; which by some views would be a respectible comparison.

As the Mazda 2 looks to face up against the Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit another in-house competitor is expected to reach the market in 2009 with an all too familiar name. Ford is working on producing a new Fiesta that will share the same platform as the Mazda 2.

Automakers obviously see a market for these B-cars as the same fuel efficiency concerns that ushered in the sub-compact market return as a driving force. But it might require some very interesting retooling for the Fiesta to fight its way amongst the competition.

As the photo of a concept Ford Fiesta shows above, they just  might just have something to work with here. It might not be your dads old Fiesta, but wouldn’t that be a good thing?