UPDATE: (2nd July 2008): Sorry folks, these have been debunked as fakes. A Russian intarwebber by the name of Grif-1 has claimed them as his own creation, trumpeting the virtues of Photoshop and 3D Studio Max in the process. Mazda, anyone, give this man a job. Heck, give him a duchy to rule over.
Some interesting images have surfaced this morning. Is this the next Mazda 3?
Of the entire Mazda range, the current 3 has become the elder statesmen of the gang. Given its top-selling record, the fellas at Mazda are no doubt heavy in the back of the pants when it comes to ensuring the next model maintains that dominance.
While the Mazda 2 has been doing quite well, the new 6 has been lagging a little more than Mazda may have expected, so the new 3 has more riding on its shoulders than just its own success.
As far as concepts go, this one does carry a lot of the lines and styling seen on the new 6 (and no small amount of RX-8 in the front bar), so it’s not unreasonable to think this could be a genuine preview of the new 3 hatch.
Pop on through for more images.
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Wow!
Looks awesome. You can see a lot of Alfa styling in it. Subaru should take note. This is what the latest Impreza should of looked like.
Top jobe Mazda. Some of the best looking and great driving Japanese cars are coming out of Mazda. Well done!
There’s a little too much Alfa in it (too much for Mazda), and the front and rear bumpers are too bulky.
I would have expected a bit more ‘6′ and ‘2′ in the new ‘3′ (that sounds vaguely dirty, doesn’t it?); I don’t think there’s enough family resemblance to take this too seriously.
I think it’s fairly safe to say alot of that styling wont make it’s way to the production car. The side mirrors look lik they would slice and dice a pedestrian into the fillings of a subway 6′ sandwhich. The wheels, while very ‘blingy’ also dont stand a chance to see light of day for the production model, likewise I dont like where fake ‘mazda’ number plates are as those dont look like they would make it into production either.
Having said, if you look at the styling of this ‘concept’ and compare with some of the other offerings from Mazda with things like the nagare concept, you can see what the design language says about the direction Mazda are heading.
I reckon this car will be a rip snorter when it finally arrives, albeit watered down in the styling department, because let’s face it, Mazda are making some top notch quality products right now.
(Rear) bumper too bulky? Remember the BJ Astina hatch?
The side profile is nice indeed, but there’s too much of BMW 1 series and VW Scirocco Styling, and the front looks a bit yuk, grille too small and low, interesting :/
I love the front of that car. The nosecone in the front/side shot reminds me of a Ferrari 599, and the Furai influences in the front-on shot are clear to see.
The rear end is a bit too Alfa 147 for my liking and the side is quite 1 Series, but I think it does a better job than Bangle’s effort.
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