Mazda To Roll Out The Mazda3 In L.A.

The all-new Mazda3 will be revealed at next month's L.A. Auto Show, a popular model first introduced to the world in 2003.

Mazda has announced that they will be rolling out their next generation compact, the Mazda3, at next month’s auto show in Los Angeles. The popular compact, which goes be Axela in Japan, has been on the market since 2003 and is sold in more than 100 countries.

Overwhelmingly successful, the Mazda3 has realized more than 1.8 million sales to date, a pace that Mazda fully expects to maintain when the car goes on sale stateside next year. At that is a good thing too: fully one out of every three vehicles sold by Mazda is the Mazda3/Axela, proving that a lot is riding on this car having a successful launch.

Mazda is keeping most details about the car mum until its press preview on November 19th, but we do know that the car will have a five door hatchback configuration and be powered by a 2.0L I4 as standard equipment, with an optional 2.5L – the same engine used in the larger Mazda6 – made available.

Ford’s Global Platform

Because Ford holds about a 38% share of Mazda’s business, the automakers have teamed up to produce several platforms including the one that powers the Mazda3. Ford, which also owns Volvo, uses the platform to underpin its Focus (European version) and Volvo’s S40, saving each automaker hundreds of millions in development and tooling costs.

The sportiest of all Mazda3 models is the Mazdaspeed3, which made its debut in 2006. Designed for the tuner and sports hatch industry, the car is powered by a turbocharged engine and has a 6 speed manual transmission, limited slip differential, upgraded brakes, suspension, tires, chassis and many other performance enhancements.

Stiff Competition, A Strong Performer Nonetheless

The Mazda3 has some stiff competition in the form of the Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Nissan Sentra, Volkswagen Jetta, and Toyota Corolla. But, Mazda has carved out a nice niche for itself, one that should help the automaker continue to hold its own as consumers embrace the car’s combination of style, value, sportiness, and fuel efficiency.

Source: Mazda Corporation