The Mazda3 is a fine vehicle by all means, but owners and fans have been craving one thing since its launch: a turbocharged version. See the famous MazdaSpeed brand hasn't brought out an impressive sports car in a while, but it's now official: Mazda Japan has announced that there will be a turbo version of the Mazda3 coming soon. Responding to a number of tweets asking about the announcement, Mazda simply replied: "Power comes to those who wait."

We know from leaked dealership documents that the turbo Mazda3 and CX-5 was on its way, but hearing some official news is so much better than conspiracy theories. The leaked documents spoke of a "MAZDA3 HB PP TURBO," which is most likely referring to the hatchback version.

The Mazda3 has been on sale in the US since 2013 and has never had a hot hatch variant in its arsenal to rival the Golf GTI and similar performance-minded hatchbacks, but that is now finally set to change. In a video posted by Mazda, you can clearly hear the sound of a four-cylinder engine which leads us to believe that the Mazda3 will get its newfound power from the tried and tested 2.5-liter turbocharged unit that does duty in the Mazda6, CX-5, and CX-9.

This engine produces a healthy 250 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. That puts it in range of the Golf GTI and Subaru WRX. Numerous reports indicate that this engine will be available for both the hatchback and sedan versions.

It will be interesting to see if Mazda will offer the new performance-oriented Mazda3 with an all-wheel-drive system, seeing as it is available on the turbo CX-5 and CX-9, but we suspect that these cars will be tuned for a more upmarket crowd, and won't fall in line with the old MazdaSpeed3 which was targeted at younger drivers

The current naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter base engine is also set to be replaced by a smaller 2.0-liter unit that will produce slightly less than the current engine's 186 horsepower. We're just worried that without a manual option, and trick suspension, the Turbo Mazda3 won't be able to stick with the traditional hot hatch rivals. It has a brilliant chassis, however. So when will it arrive? Mazda Says July 8, 2020. Mark your calendars.