It’s a banner-day for North America, as the Mazda2 – a staple of Mazda autos in Japan & Europe – is headed stateside. Mazda2 will make a somewhat-official debut in the US of A at the Los Angeles Auto show, but as announcement yesterday states that Mazda2 will be a for-sale vehicle by 2011. There were rumors for over a year about bringing the small city-car to the Birthplace of Apple Pie, now we can stop crossing our fingers. Good, they were beginning to cramp.

No official word on the US-spec 2 – it’s Japanese/Euro counterpart includes 1.3 and 1.5 liter gasoline/petrol engines as well as two diesels – a 1.2 and 1.6 liter. It was also voted World Car of the Year in 2008. “Bringing Mazda2 to North America completes the bookends in our lineup,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda North America, in a press release.