Mazda Axela - Mazda3 Goes on Sale in Japan

Finally Mazda has announced the domestic market launch of its all-new Axela which is known elsewhere as the Mazda3. In Japan, the newest version of the '3' is offered with two body styles, a four door sedan and a five-door hatchback powered by 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter four cylinder gasoline engines that can be hooked up to a CVT or 4/5-speed automatic transmissions (depending on the version). Nothing exciting here, but unlike Western markets where the Mazda3 is offered exclusively with front-wheel drive, Japanese buyers can opt for an all-wheel drive system.

For the top range which called Mazda Axela, it is equipped with with a 2.3-liter turbocharged four with power being transferred to the front-wheels (no AWD option here) through a six-speed manual gearbox.

The Japanese automaker said that suggested retail prices including sales tax for the new Axela range from 1,660,000 to 2,678,000 yen or about $17k to $27.5k at today's exchange rates. Mazda's target sales volume for the Japanese market is around 2,000 units per month.

2010 Mazda 3

Mazda will unveiled their all new 2010 Mazda 3 during LA Auto Show. The new 3 retains a similar shape as the current model with a high beltline and rear decklid, the new car sports a much more expressive face with a "smile" grille positioned low up front that's flanked by vertical air intake/fog light combos. The front fenders are more distinct from the elevated hood and roll nicely back into the car's forward canted character line. For the rear taillights, it is bigger and embedded in above the dual exhaust tips. The overall shape is a logical evolution of the current car that combines current Mazda design elements already found on the RX-8, Mazda6 and recently refreshed MX-5. The car will be powered by 2 types of engines which are the 2.0L four cylinder, and also a 2.5L engine that going to replace the current 2.3L.

2010 Mazda3 Revealed

Although these pictures appear to be depicting an unfinished toy model, fact is that the designs you’re looking at were filed by Mazda at OHIM, These renderings of the redesigned 2010 Mazda3 were posted in a thread over on carspyshots.net under the auspice of being toy renderings. Thus, it's more likely that these are actual renderings of the real, full-scale 2010 Mazda3. It is more than apparent that the 5-door hatchback seen in these pictures is related to the Mazda3. However, while retaining the basic shape of the current model, the compact hatch borrows plenty of styling cues from Mazda’s latest production and concept cars like the bulgy front wheel arches and the large RX-8-style grille that’s incorporated in the front bumper. At the rear-end we find a pair of Mazda6-inspired tail lamps along with a more concave shaped bumper and a steeper rear-window.

2010 Mazda3 Concept Renderings

There are few images surfaced on the internet that could be the new Mazda3 Concept but according to carscoop, the images are the work of Grif-1, a member of a Russian design site, Render.

The Mazda3 Concept renderings by Grif-1 features two exhausts, large air vents and LED rear taillight.