Mazda has released photos and information on the Kiyora concept it will show at next month's Tokyo Auto Show. It reminds us a bit of the Honda CR-Z, but less attractive. At least the car looks happy wearing Mazda's corporate saccharin-sweet smile.

Most likely, this is a design study for the next-generation Mazda 2, as Mazda says the Kiyora has the company's 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine, which is the base engine for the Japan-spec Mazda 2/Demio. It's also an engineering study, though. The Mazda Kiyora is apparently 220 pounds lighter than a three-door Mazda 2. That's a big deal for a subcompact.

The weight savings, along with a new automatic tranmission called Sky-Drive (also making its world premiere in Tokyo), yields a considerable improvement in fuel economy. Mazda claims 32 km/liter on the Asian test cycle, which works out to over 75 mpg, which is not at all relevant to anything EPA-related.

Mazda hasn't said how many forward gears a production version of the transmission could have (we'll adopt at least 5, possibly 6), but apparently, the lockup clutch works faster than on the company's current automatics — improving mileage and that all-important sensation of responsiveness.

More photos after the jump.