2010 Mazda3 pictures leaked ahead of Los Angeles Auto Show debut

The launch of the new Mazda3 has become the worst kept secret in the industry. As NMM reported earlier, the new Mazda3 will make its official debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show on November 19.

In a surprise move coinciding with the Sydney Motor Show, Mazda released three pictures and a few tantalizing details on the all-new sporty compact sedan.

The new four-door sedan be the first to come to the US market, sometime in the first quarter of 2009. The five-door hatchback will follow some time later in the spring; Mazda will announce on-sale dates at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The pictures confirm much of what the rumor mill predicted earlier this year. The new trapezoidal grille that debuted on the refreshed RX-8 and MX-5 Miata dominates the front end, flanked by fender flares that recall the design of the newly redesigned Mazda6.

At the rear, new taillights fill out the flared fenders while the trunklid features Mazda's own take on the oft-critized "Bangle Butt."

While the changes sound radical on paper, the overall impression is an evolutionary design with a lot of Mazda design DNA. The changes build on the athletic character that has made the current model a sales success.

Since its launch in 2003, the Mazda3 has sold nearly 1.8 million vehicles worldwide; accounting for almost one third of Mazda's annual sales each year.

As far as engines go, we now know the 2010 Mazda3 will be sold in the US with a 2.0-liter and a 2.5-liter engine.

Horsepower and torque numbers weren't released. The safest bet is that the current MZR 2.0-liter 153 horsepower inline-four will be the standard engine, possibly with a minor bump in horsepower.

What the 2.5-liter engine will be is anyone's guess. It could mean a small bump in displacement for the 2.3-liter turbo direct-injection inline-four used in the current MazdaSpeed3. It could also mean that the next MazdaSpeed3 will inherit a version of the 2.5-liter turbo inline-five used in the Volvo S40 T5 and C30. Volvo is a corporate cousin of Mazda through their mutual ownership by Ford.

We'll know more as the Los Angeles Auto Show draws near. Stay tuned.

[Mazda]

2010 Mazda MX-5 pics leak months before Detroit unveil

When covering the auto industry, it's common for manufacturers to embargo stories or pictures. It's all part of the marketing game and in most cases, the media is happy to play along. Every so often, though... there will be leaks.

Today's news is more of a flood.

A biblical torrent of pictures for the 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata have hit the web today, nearly four months ahead of the car's official debut at the Detroit Motor Show next January.

The visual changes are extensive. Gone are the cough-drop inspired headlights and grille, replaced by a more dramatic form that has a bit more RX-8 mojo — and machismo — in the mix.

For the full gallery, click here.

No other details are available at this time, but expect the same 166-horsepower 2.0-liter inline four, the same five and six-speed transmissions and the same blissfully balanced driving experience.

Last month, Mazda officials killed the rumors of a 2010 MazdaSpeed Miata using a version of the turbo 2.3-liter DISI inline four found under the hood of the MazdaSpeed 3.

According to Mazda PR man Jeremy Barnes, the turbo motor fit just fine -- until the head was bolted on. The high pressure fuel pump required by the direct-injection system is driven off the exhaust cam. With the motor turned longitudinally, the fuel pump hits the Miata's firewall, ruling out the swap as a bolt-in affair.

[Km77.com]

2009 Mazda 3 sedan to debut at Los Angeles Motor Show

Taking a number of design cues from the recently announced 2009 Mazda 6 , the next generation of the popular Mazda 3 compact sedan will debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November.

The four-door hatchback version will premiere at the Bologna Motor Show a month later.

For the US market, the current range of 2.0 and 2.3 liter inline-four gasoline engines will carry over to the new car unchanged. The car will go on sale in Europe at the start of 2009 and will be available in the US by mid-summer or early fall.

Despite the pressure of rising gas prices, Mazda announced that it will offer a high performance MazdaSpeed version. Expected to be hit the streets in 2010, the new MazdaSpeed 3 will likely use a version of the 2.5 liter turbocharged inline-five currently available in the US market Volvo C30.

Photo Credit: AutoExpress.co.uk
Source: Autocar, AutoExpress