2013 Mazda3 renderings leaked

By Jez Spinks | October 19th, 2012

FIND DEALS

Leaked renderings of the 2013 Mazda3 have provided the first clues to the look of the Japanese brand’s important next-generation small car.

The images are believed to be official Mazda renderings, though the car maker has stressed to CarAdvice that this is not the styling of the all-new Mazda3 expected in the latter stages of 2013.

The hatchback featured in the pictures certainly adopts the company’s Kodo design language that would make this Mazda3 look a natural fit with the other two new models from the brand – the CX-5 and Mazda6. The front end, especially, features the same enlarged five-point grille and headlights that are linked by a shaped chrome bar.

Mazda hasn’t denied the images have leaked somehow from the company.

“We have not communicated any images or details regarding the new Mazda3,” said Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver. “Yes we do internal renderings [of future products] for [research] clinics, and this is an execution of what Kodo [design] might look like on the 3. But these images are not the new Mazda3.”

A Mazda source revealed at the recent motor show that the new Mazda3 will debut in 2013, just four years after the current model launched.

The 2013 Mazda3 will share its basic ‘Skyactiv’ architecture with the CX-5 SUV released earlier this year and the Mazda6 medium car that arrives locally in December.

Expect a range of engines seen from the CX-5 and Mazda6 to be offered with the Mazda3, including a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol and 2.2-litre turbo diesel – mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed auto.

The 2013 Mazda3 is also expected to be the first Mazda to feature a hybrid drivetrain borrowed from Toyota as part of a technology tie-up.

Mazda’s small car could also be the candidate the company chooses to debut its new rotary-powered range-extender technology, which is also due in 2013.

We’re hoping the final design of the 2013 Mazda3 does look something like the company’s test renderings, but what do you think? Head to our comment forum below to share your opinions.

Sponsored Ads

Al

If the production version is like the rendering, I will buy one
- Dave W
  
  Effin A!!
  
  Damn that’s a gorgeous hatch!! That car would look right at home in any premium Euro lineup.
  
  I dare any VW fanboys to come here and say how this design is overdone and will age quickly.
  - Aussie
    
    I don’t like it. Not said to troll – just to point out it isn’t going to appeal to everyone.
    Thats a good thing because it results in more choice.
    - Dave W
      
      I realise not everyone’s going to like it, but I do notice that there are some people here who seem to enjoy trolling articles about Asian cars, especially the Koreans.
  - Luke Brinsmead
    
    I must say I’m a bit of a VW fanboy myself and I think this is one sexy design. I like the front but not the rear as much; it looks a bit too short. If the current Mazda3 had a more affordable fuel efficient model and a more ergonomic dash design I would have bought that instead of a Golf because it looks more dynamic.
    - Zaccy16
      
      agreed, best small car would be a cross between the 3 and golf
      - Luke Brinsmead
        
        It would be a good if the new 3 has the PSA 1.6 diesel and 2.0 Skyactiv petrol at an affordable price instead of the current gas guzzling 2 and 2.3 litre engines.
      - Zaccy16
        
        yeah that would be good, do you mean the 2.5?
    - Bob222
      
      Agreed. I’m a self confessed VW fanboy. But I would love to see an SP diesel model where the 2.2D has the same output as it has in the Mazda6, and the trim is SP equivalent (i.e. sunroof, leather, BOSE etc). Priced against a VW Comfortline Tdi it would sell well.
- yay
  
  opposite for me!
- Zaccy16
  
  yep so would i, it looks fantastic!
  - vid_ghost_borg
    
    it really is a work of art… best looking $20-30k car on the market
- Scott
  
  The look is great! dare I say even a little Alfa? especially at the rear hatch end, I’d differ buying a new civic hatch for one…………..
Vti07

I hope the next MPS has around 250+kw and AWD. Not bad looking at all.
TG

New Corolla has just had more of a fail than ever before, hahahahaha…
- Golf
  
  Score: Mazda3 – 10, Carolla – 1
  - yay
    
    golf:7, focus/civic:6, i30:5, mazda3:4.5, corolla:2
    - Eskylid69
      
      Opel Astra – 100
    - Andrew M
      
      So you are saying the Golf is almost twice as good as a Mazda 3?
      
      The Mazda 3 is certainly not a below average vehicle as you suggest.
      
      Im also surprised that you rate the Civic so high.
      
      Just aswell the your score card appears not to be factual
      - yay
        
        lighten up mate, whichever car you choose to like.
      - Dave W
        
        How about you choose not to troll articles about car you don’t like? Or at least give people a valid reason why you don’t like a car instead of spouting off inane drivels like scores that you pulled out of your backend?
      - yay
        
        you really need to work on your arithmetic though, that is non negotiable
      - Andrew M
        
        You need to work on your comprehension because i fail to see where my arithmic is flawed.
        
        A score below 5 would be a below average score.
        
        Also, If the golf scores 7, half of that is 3.5.
        You scroed he Mazda a 4.5 which as I said is “Almost” half of the golfs score.
        
        I will like whichever I like as you suggest, I was just curious as to how you came up with such a different score card than most.
      - Igomi Watabi
        
        well, “almost half” would in fact be less than 3.5. it would be more accurate to say he scored the Golf “almost twice” the Mazda. But on every other count, I agree with you. Fact is, the scores he gave are based on his preferences/prejudices, as the rancid Civic scores a third more than the Mazda. Which is fine, have an opinion, but say so. Here’s my opinion (lets base it on this fuzzy Mazda 3 photo above, which I personally love by the way) and since I’m basing it on styling only (yes, styling only, since that’s all that one can comment on here really), I’m gonna say Mazda3:9.5, Giulietta:9.0, Focus/Astra:6, i30:5, Golf:4.25, Civic/Corolla:1.5.
A_A

Front looks awesome but not a huge fan of the back. Big fan of the 6 design though :-/

Maybe I’m weird cause I don’t like the current 3 either.
Golfmother

Thats a damn fine design , that should keep it in number 1 sales position in OZ .
- Zaccy16
  
  yeah and deservedly so
Golfschwein

Hmm. Nice. Long bonnet. Wouldn’t be surprised if it’s as big as the first 6, maybe even the second.
- Phil
  
  Agreed – not a fan of small cars like the Golf, Pulsar and 3 getting larger and larger.
  - F1orce
    
    I think that trend has reached a peak.
  - JooberJCW
    
    People are getting bigger and bigger
    - Phil
      
      But that doesn’t mean cars have to get bigger. These problems could be solved with innovation and better packaging.
      - Dave W
        
        Seeing how fat some people are, you’re gonna need some advanced space alien technology to make sure the car size stays the same.
      - JooberJCW
        
        Yes, but cost wise its cheaper and easier to make something bigger rather than innovate something new.
      - Phil
        
        Yeah, unfortunately profits do have to come first. Not many true innovators left these days.
      - Dave W
        
        I think you’d find that the lack of innovation has nothing to do with the larger size of modern cars.
        
        People, simply prefer cars with more space and features (more airbags, ESC, more speakers, automatic everything, etc.) and the only way to provide them is to enlarge the car.
    - Phil
      
      Only Australian people are getting bigger (read fatter). Japanese people haven’t been getting bigger.
      - JooberJCW
        
        And yanks, being a global car, you’d have to go for the biggest denominator
  - Simon
    
    IT’S AN OUTRAGE – cars no longer fit into parking spots from 20 years ago, we need urgent government action to widen parking spaces also and this is an issue that needs to be addressed next election. The WPS tax will ensure Australia can keep up with the world and it’s changing needs, and move forward.
    - Andrew M
      
      I think you will find that the man thing there is they are actually narrowing parking spaces because space is now becoming the premium
      - Igomi Watabi
        
        Yeah, it’s true. I’ve seen car parks changing the size of their spaces, re-painting the lines closer together.
        
        I know Simon’s taking the p!ss, but it is interesting to look at the car parking needs of ye olde days. Have a look at the new-fangled parking garage on a 1950s brick home. Flat stick fitting a modern car in there.
TJ

Starting to look abit like the new Mercedes A-Class
- 5reasonreviews.com
  
  Agree completely!!
- Leesyd
  
  Put the new “A” alongside the new Astra – It seems that when MB decided to take the golf on they copied alot of the new Opel. Just put the pictures side by side – especially rear shots. You will also notice the inverse “blade” design that the Astra won that “RED DOT” award for.
Henry Toussaint

I looks roomy!…
Brozi

If this rendering becomes a production reality for the new Mazda 3, the Volkswagen golf VII looks outdated already.
I would buy one
Jo

Like the front design. Looks very nice but that rear. What where they thinking
- TJ
  
  Agreed,
  
  The front looks good, as does the profile. I don’t know what’s going on at the back, those exhausts look like pea shooters… Not to mention the rear fender.
Zandit75

The side profile is the only thing I don’t like. The glass house looks all out of proportion with the rest of the car.
Also, while I’m sure it’s similar to other cars in this class, the front overhang looks out of whack too. Too long.

Aside from that, the front and rear views look awesome!!!
Tris

Very appealing car but the exhaust does look out of place! I wonder what does it look like inside ?
- Valet Dabess
  
  the same as the cx5 lol
  - Andrew M
    
    thats a good bet
Petexxy

Agree looks great but will Mazda’s early design pics fail to deliver in reality like the new 6 which IMO missed the mark. With the 6 early pics looked awesome but final design fell a bit flat.
Schn

That looks stunning for a concept. Great, bold design.
Rightindicator

Very appealing design. That will translate well in good sales each month like the current generation mazda 3.
O123

Wow, If this is the new model mazda is going to destroy the competition!
- Andrew M
  
  As opposed to how they are currently performing?
  The Mazda 3 is already destroying the competition
Triffod

Am I the only one that doesn’t like the front? It leans forward too much making it look too flat from the front and too long from the side. If it curved down and tapered off it would look much better and make the car look more proportionate from the side.

The rear looks like it was taken right out of the Alfa Giulietta/Brera design manual.

It has the potential to be a great looking car but it’s like Anna Farris – i can’t stop focusing on the nose.
JHP

yuck…
Randy3023a

The last time Mazda teased us with a hot, Maserati-looking car we ended up with the fugly 2014 Mazda 6.

Lesson of this story? Mazda doesn’t build what it teases.
- JooberJCW
  
  Agree, I remember getting those posters from the Melbourne motorshow, it looked ridiculously good, never happened unfortunately.
  
  Something smells to me its going to be more identical to the 6 but small.
  
  Time will tell.
- Sydlocal
  
  How different is the 2014 Mazda6 to the new “2013″ model that is in reality being released at the end of 2012? Skipping one year is one thing, but two?!
  Also, it is not just Mazda who don’t build what they tease. You can pretty much tar every other manufacturer with that same brush at some time or another.
Sonic

These rendering look fantastic, but the production version will be a VERY bland version of this. That is why I prefer Nagare.
APSV

To be fair, the Mazda spokesperson did say: “these images are not the new Mazda3”. If you’re hoping that the real Mazda 3 looks identical or very similar to this, then you’re the only person who’s setting yourself up for a high chance of disappoint.
APSV

To be fair, the Mazda spokesperson did say: “these images are not the new Mazda3”. If you’re hoping that the real Mazda 3 looks identical or very similar to this, then you’re the only person who’s setting yourself up for a high chance of disappoint.
- Dave W
  
  Or it could be a marketing strategy to “leak” these images to gauge people’s reaction.
  
  Sure it probably won’t look exactly the same but when it looks this good, I can’t help but hope that maybe Mazda will stay mostly faithful to this concept, the way Land Rover stayed faithful to the Evoque concept.
Bd_will

Alfa Romeo guilietta anyone? Mazda has had a history of taking inspiration from Alfa small car designs for the 3 and others.
- Mike
  
  Very vaguely. This looks pretty unique.
- Sydlocal
  
  Still doesn’t look as much like an Alfa as what the Mazda 1500 did. It would have to be the most “Alfa-esque” looking Mazda of all!!!
- Sydlocal
  
  Still doesn’t look as much like an Alfa as what the Mazda 1500 did. It would have to be the most “Alfa-esque” looking Mazda of all!!!
  - Golfmother
    
    Dead right very alfa, and a damn fine car in its day .
    - Sydlocal
      
      I presume by that response you know the history behind the Mazda 1500 design Golfmother?
      To those that don’t the 1500 body shape was actually designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for a new mid sized Alfa Romeo. However Alfa couldn’t come up with the money to pay for the completed design so Mazda stepped in and forked over the cash for it. Hence why I said it was the most “Alfa-esque” considering that is what it was originally supposed to be! It sure was a fine looking car for its day.
      - yay
        
        i like giugiaro designs, such as the nikon f3!
      - Golfmother
        
        Yes i do remember the story , forgotten the name of the designer though .
        
        My aunty had one for many years in tassie and we used to borrow it when we went there on holidays , loverly manual gearbox , sweet motor .
        
        Tassie the only place where you speed up in the towns , because the only straight roads are in the towns , beautifull island , nice people .
      - Igomi Watabi
        
        Daewoo bought Giugiaro’s design for the Jaguar Kensington as well. It makes for a pretty car but not necessarily a good one.
- Dave W
  
  Which part looks like Alfa’s Giulietta? The round tyres?
  - yay
    
    calm down my friend!
- Simon
  
  Yes, the rear for sure that’s the first thing I thought!
yay

@4bcd83a770a47e0ee210c0ce515d75af:disqus if in your world of maths +/- 22% doesn’t matter the banks will love you
- Andrew M
  
  22%? people can use percentages to tell whatever story they like, 85% of people know that.
  The fact is you Scored the Mazda 1 point off of being half the Golfs score.
  
  Ill say it in your terms, you claim the Golf is a 75% better car than the Mazda?
  
  If in your world of valuations you rank the Golf to be 75% more superior, Im sure the banks will hate you once they realise what loans you have been giving the thumbs up
  - yay
    
    *sigh*
Ted

Nice, Mazda has done it again.
Kaas

Looks nice, but will appeal to less people due to the strong looks.

And this definitely NO WAY near production version, check the japanese sites and this is concept… 19 inch wheels and 3 piece bumper for a sub 20K hatch?
- Kaas
  
  I meant 3 piece bumper grille.
- Andrew M
  
  This could be near production if it is the SP25 model.
  Those wheels are already an existing Mazda design, or at least very similar
  - Andrew M
    
    And the SP25 is scratching 40K, noone ever releases teaser sketches of the base models
  - Andrew M
    
    And the SP25 is scratching 40K, noone ever releases teaser sketches of the base models
  - Andrew M
    
    And the SP25 is scratching 40K, noone ever releases teaser sketches of the base models
Brian

Ugly rendering.
yay

@b2014f95e893a81589d1e476b1d597f9:disqus fanbois these days …
Rob S

If this baby has my CX5 2.2l diesel in it, it will surely fly……
Igomi Watabi

From the side, it kinda looks like that ‘orrible Maserati offroader.

But as a small hatch, I really, really like the styling. For me, just on styling, it’s a toss-up between this and a Giulietta. Both let down slightly by their try-hard front-on styling.
don cipo

Nice design . Front looks like a baby Aston Martin from the side.
Maverick843

That’s a leaked rendering of the 2014, not the 2013
Kagome

I like the front of the car but the back could be better, I love the current ones, the lights on this look pretty cool at the back but the boot needs fixing.
I love that you’ll be able to get the bigger engines in the newer 3, I hope the interior is nice too.
I am looking forward to seeing what the new 3′s will look like, if I were to buy a new car Mazda 3 would be one of my top choices .

Car Advice

2013 Mazda3 renderings leaked

Sponsored Ads

Advanced Options