Mazda 3 Sedan

Make
Mazda
Segment
Sedan

The Mazda3 is set for a facelift later this year. Currently on the streets in Japan as the Mazda Axela, the U.S.-version Mazda3 will arrive on American shores this October. They are both fitted with Mazda's new Skyactiv 2.0-liter direct-injection gasoline engine. The Mazda3 is the first Mazda to be fitted with their new six-speed automatic gearbox coupled with their Skyactiv technology.

Sources inside Mazda have told InsideLine that the new automatic will "deliver a direct shift feel similar to (that of) a manual transmission." Mazda is using their Skyactiv tech on the CX-5 which will debut at next month's 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show and it is already featured on the Japanese automaker's Mazda2. The Axela-companion Mazda3 is already in production in Japan and will arrive in the U.S. in mid-October. It will be tagged as a 2013 model.