A Mazda executive from Australia says right-hand-drive production of the Mazda3 2,5 Turbo has not been “entirely” ruled out.
Revealed for North America in mid-2020, the Mazda3 2,5 Turbo is currently built only in left-hand drive.
Alastair Doak, Mazda Australia marketing director, told GoAuto.com.au he would continue to push for a right-hand-drive version of the hottest Mazda3.
“We’re very jealous as it’s not available in right-hand drive at this point, and that’s just a resource/volume thing,” Doak said.
“So we keep asking and we will continue to keep asking. It’s not ruled entirely out but it’s not ruled in, it’s just the case of every time we see the programme managers [who] can influence the decisions, we keep going, ‘remember, remember’, so we’ll keep doing that.”
Although Mazda’s domestic market is a right-hand-drive country, Doak suggested the performance version of the Mazda3 hatch would not move big numbers in Japan were it to be available with the steering wheel on the right.
“Those kind of cars don’t really sell in Japan so the volume’s not there, and obviously Europe have got their targets around CO2 so when you take all that out, right-hand drive [is a tough sell],” he said.
As a reminder, the turbocharged Skyactiv-G 2,5T unit (which interestingly is offered in North America in both hatchback and sedan body styles) generates 169 kW and 420 N.m when fed 87-octane petrol and 186 kW and 434 N.m when run on 93-octane fuel. That oomph is directed to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.
In 2020, Mazda Southern Africa told CARmag.co.za the forced-induction engine – which has since been rolled out to the CX-30, too – would not be offered outside North America “for the next few years”.
