Barely are the Paris motor show press days out of the way and already one automaker is out with a preview of a new model roll-out planned for the Los Angeles Auto Show on 19 November: Mazda on Thursday confirmed that it would launch a redesigned four-door saloon (sedan) version of the C-segment 3 at the California show.
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Unlike here in Europe, where the reverse applies, the 3 sedan outsells the five-door hatchback by a large margin in the US – and Canada, where the outgoing model has consistently been one of the top selling import models.
Regarding launch timing, Mazda said officially: “Following the world debut of the North American specification saloon at the show, the five-door hatchback version will be revealed in line with [our] global sales schedule.”
But a just-auto source added: “You could speculate on a [European] launch in the first half of next year.” The source also confirmed that sedans account for only a very small proportion of 3 sales in Europe.
The updated 3 follows the redesigned 2 (popular in Europe and Asia but not yet sold in the US) and the more recent, completely renewed 6. The “expressive” nose styling of the new 3 resembles the larger, D-segment 6.
“Every element of the all-new 3 has been developed in a more refined, sporty ride, top class fuel economy and quietness,” Mazda said.
Since launch in 2003, the current 3 has sold around 1.8m vehicles in over 100 countries, including 13,000 sales in the UK last year and almost 8,000 sales here year to date.
The model line has won more than 90 global motoring awards and accounts for almost one in three Mazdas sold each year world-wide.
