After a handful of teasers, the covers have been whipped off both the hatchback and sedan versions of the new Mazda3 ahead of their official premieres at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Japanese automaker says the “fully redesigned” fourth-generation models will be rolled out to global markets in “early 2019”.
Running on the latest version of the brand’s Skyactiv-Vehicle Architecture, the new Mazda3’s powertrain line-up will include Skyactiv-G petrol engines, Skyactiv-D diesel units and also the new Skyactiv-X powerplant, which becomes the world’s first commercial petrol mill to use compression ignition.
Petrol engines will again include (depending on market, of course) 1,5-, 2,0- and 2,5-litre units, while the oil-burning example is a 1,8-litre mill. Transmission options will include a six-speed manual gearbox and an automatic cog-swapper with the same number of gears.
Mazda says its new models have adopted a more “mature” version of the so-called Kodo design language. Interestingly, the firm says the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan models have “distinct personalities”, with the design of the former described as “dynamic” and that of the latter as “elegant”.
While both body styles feature a wheelbase of 2 725 mm, the hatchback measures 4 459 mm long, 1 797 mm wide and 1 440 mm tall. The sedan, meanwhile, is 4 662 mm nose to tail, and some five millimetres taller than the hatch (and the same width).
“The all-new Mazda3 we unveil today begins a new era for Mazda,” said Akira Marumoto, Mazda’s representative director, president and CEO.
“The next generation of Mazda cars will enhance the value of the car-ownership experience. Through these products, we will further raise Mazda’s brand value and work towards our goal of building ever stronger bonds with customers all over the world.”
The new models are scheduled to arrive in South Africa in the second half of 2019.
