Upside: looks fantastic
downside: no longer made in Japan for US market

looks like a CX5........ with a thyroid issue.

That.... omfg......


All the sudden the gen2 doesn't look as bad to me.....

I think it looks awesome.

hmmph, weird, hmm. mmmmmm- hmm. hm? hmm.

K so if you told me it was not a 3 i'd be like, cute crossover!
but as a 3, i don't like it too much, it's not ugly, just reminds me of that honda crossover thing...
I agree, genpu is looking good right now

IDK about it. Again like the new 6 that line where the hood and bumper skin split just throws it off. I don't like the change up of the body lines at the bottom of the doors. That is one thing I liked on the Gen2. The bumper makes the front look to big/tall. And from what I can tell the side or rear of the car doesn't flow well with the front. I will hold further judgement till I see it in person. I love the way the CX-5 looks but IDK.

I'm definitely not good enough with photo shop but I really wonder how that front bumper styling would have translated to the RX-8 if it weren't 86.

I like it but not as a 3

Merely a rendering. I doubt the nose will be that upright. Otherwise, as others have noted, it looks like a lowered CX5.

I like it.

Where will it be built?

According to the Car & Driver article this turned up in, the US 2014 Mazda3s will be made in Mexico.

I'm not surprised to hear that news, it was known that plant in Mexico would be making mazda3s already, but the currency situation with the yen and dollar might make the Mexico plant the strategic choice for Mazda... Who knows what things will actually look like in two years though.

I'd like to think the top-trim Mazda3's would still have j-vins, I like the idea of getting the car from the production line that's been running for a decade, not the same car from a brand new production line. There'll inevitably be teething issues, but I'm personally most concerned that we may or may not have available the 'pure' global platform.

Unlike Honda, I believe Mazda at least holds convictions that they want to sell the same driving experience in a given car in all markets, though I already take a dim view at things like detuning the US-bound SkyDrive-G engine from 14:1 down to 13:1. (I assume it was so US Skydrive-Gs could run our regular 85 (87) octane unleaded, though have read it was for emissions purposes).

Speaking of new mazdas, apparently someone noticed Ford testing a test-mule Fiesta ST; it was parked at Loveland Pass. If there's a new Ford Fiesta ST slated for US release, will there be a mazdaspeed2? (Obviously, nothing as bonkers as the SEMA turbo2 concept). I'm not holding my breath.

Well...the more jobs they have down there, the less they'll want to come up here. :\

I like it. Way better than the Genpus.