For years, style was absent without an excuse from American subcompacts. But the days of slab-sided, no-frills hatchbacks may soon be history.
For decades, something was missing in the small cars designed, built and sold in the United States. It was gone for so long that most American consumers probably didn't know what it was.
But to Ralph Gilles, Chrysler Group's chief designer, the missing ingredient was obvious. U.S. subcompacts lacked emotional appeal.
"Small cars of the past were not necessarily done with passion," he said.
Generations of Detroit designers seemed to say: No one buys a small car for its styling, so why bother? Uninspired, appliancelike econoboxes? What else did you expect?
American subcompacts had none of the attributes found in the cool, quirky and even elegant small cars created elsewhere in the world, from the original BMC Mini to the first Peugeot 205 to the modern Citroen C3.
U.S. automakers were forced to churn out small cars to raise corporate average fuel economy averages, so they could keep selling big trucks. Small-car design? An oxymoron.
But consumer preference has shifted -- the result of higher gasoline prices, new fuel-efficiency standards and concern about climate change.
"Small cars and vehicles powered by four-cylinder engines have been on a steady increase since 2004," said Ford Motor Co. sales analyst George Pipas.
U.S. fleets must average 35.5 mpg by 2016, compared with 25.3 mpg this year. Combined with stricter emissions standards, it means the number of small-car nameplates for sale in the United States will increase.
And when a market segment gets crowded, automakers must rely on styling to set their vehicles apart from the crowd.
"It's not business as usual for small cars here anymore," said Moray Callum, Ford Motor's design director for cars.
The expanding lineup of new small cars means styling will get a lot more creative and appealing, just as it did with mid-sized cars recently. (Think of the modern Chevrolet Malibu, the new Ford Taurus and the current Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.)
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The 2010 Mazda Mazda3 5-door just kept surprising us every time we got behind the wheel.
A track car, she is not; but the Mazda3 can be quite fun to drive at less than breakneck speeds.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)Earlier this year at Mazda Laguna Seca Speedway, the Mazda3 surprised us with its rather poor racetrack manners. Perhaps our experiences with the previous-gen Mazdaspeed3 variant had our hopes a bit high, but the 3's suspension and automatic gearbox were just too soft for our tastes. On public roads, however, we were again surprised to find that those same components provided a fantastic ride at less than breakneck speeds.
Once in the cabin, we were taken aback by Mazda's unorthodox navigation system, but please to find tech gems uncommon at this price point, such as Bluetooth audio streaming, adaptive projector headlamps that steer the light into curves, and keyless entry/start. Even though Mazda doesn't list an iPod connection as an available option, we were surprised to find a dealer installed iPod sync cable hanging out at the back of the glove compartment.
Check out the full review of the 2010 Mazda Mazda3 s Grand Touring 5-door to get the full scoop.
China becomes the world's largest car market, but Ford is unable to unload Volvo there; you may get to write off part of your next car purchase; and we drop the top on a Corvette convertible. In January.
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• China overtakes the U.S. in auto sales for the first time
• GM eyes S.F. and D.C. as early home runs for the Volt
• CNET Review of the Corvette Convertible
The Mazda3 MPS doesn't appear to vary from the current Mazdaspeed3 formula.
(Credit: Mazda Motor Corporation)Mazda Motor Corporation will debut two new Mazda3 variants at the 2009 Geneva auto show. The Mazda3 with i-stop and the Mazda3 MPS boost performance of the standard Mazda3 in very different ways: the first boosts economy, the second boosts performance.
Mazda i-stop shuts down the engine when the vehicle is stopped.
(Credit: Mazda Motor Corporation)The i-stop system, debuting on the Mazda3's MZR 2.0 DISI (Direct Injection Spark Ignition) engine, boosts fuel economy up to 12 percent by shutting down the engine when the vehicle is stopped.
The Mazda3 MPS sport compact (essentially the European version of what we call the Mazdaspeed3) features a sharpening of the 2010 Mazda3's big, goofy grin, with big wheels, a lower stance, and a hood scoop. The new MPS hangs on to the MZR 2.3 DISI Turbo engine from the current Mazdaspeed3. Horsepower is yet unpublished, but it should be equal to (or hopefully greater than) the current 263 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. The current generation of the Mazdaspeed3 is touted as one of the best front-wheel performers on the road today, so we expect big things out of this new model.
While both vehicles will debut in Europe, we're more than certain we'll see North American versions in the near future.
Mazda has revealed its updated Mazda3 5-door hatchback, our favorite incarnation of the Mazda3 formula.
(Credit: Mazda Motor Corporation)We just saw the unveiling of the new for 2010 Mazda Mazda3 sedan at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, but curiously, the 5-door hatchback was missing in action...until now.
The 5-door hatchback gets the same happy-face of the sedan revealed in LA.
(Credit: Mazda Motor Corporation)Mazda has released details and photos of the all-new Mazda3 5-door hatchback, which it plans to showcase at the Bologna Motor Show on December 3, 2008.
Bologna being a European show, Mazda has shared details about the newly-developed 2.2-liter turbodiesel, which we won't be getting in the States (for now). The 2.2-liter oil burner will be offered in two tunes, a high-power 182 horsepower version and a standard version rated at 148 horsepower, both of which offer claimed fuel economy and emissions gains over the old 2.0-liter turbodiesel.
The rest of the drivetrain options and details should stack up more or less with those of the sedan.
A dramatic new look and lots of what they call "content."
The 2010 Mazda3's face is either aggressive and goofy looking, depending on how you look at it.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)Mazda presented its new 2010 Mazda3 sedan at the 2008 LA Auto Show, and I have to admit that I don't really know what to make of it.
The revised front end has more overtones of Mazda's Nagare concept than any Mazda vehicle to date. From certain angles it's decidedly sinister, with its sharply raked bi-xenon headlamps, enlarged lower grille opening that eliminates the need for an upper grille, and organically styled side grille openings with integrated foglights. But from other angles, that huge grille opening looks like a big goofy grin.
Moving back across the body, we see that the Mazda3 sedan features the same coupe-like silhouette of the current model. The new 3 uses a chassis that's similar to the current model, but with tweaks that increase rigidity. The 3's sides feature new sheet metal characterized by a crease that starts at the front wheel wells and terminates in a well-defined shoulder at the rear of the vehicle.
Under the hood breathes a 2.0-liter four-cylinder powerplant that produces 148 horsepower. For the better-performing Mazda3, displacement has been bumped up to 2.5 liters and power increased to 167 horsepower. That's only an adequate amount of power in my book; thankfully the engines are fairly thrifty, delivering 25 city and 33 highway mpg from the 2.0 liter engine and 22 city and 29 highway mpg from the more powerful 2.5 liter mill.
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)
Cabin options for the 2010 Mazda3 include a Bose 10-speaker premium surround sound system, connectivity for cell phones and portable media players, a dock for iPods, and Sirius satellite radio. A multi-information display is positioned high on the center portion of the instrument panel to further minimize eye movement while driving. Navigation, audio, and trip computer information is provided in this handy and easy-to-view location.
Pricing and availability have not yet been revealed.
See all coverage of the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The all-new Mazda3 sedan breaks cover early.
(Credit: Mazda)With Mazda's redesigned Mazda6 sedan completed and on showroom floors, the automaker has turned its attention to the smaller Mazda3.
An updated tail compliments the Mazda3's new front clip.
(Credit: Mazda)Scheduled to be revealed at the 2008 LA Auto Show in November, Mazda has given us a sneak peek at the all-new Mazda3 sedan, and it is a sexy little number. Details are still sparse, but the first thing we notice is the dramatically swept back front end, which brings the 3's aesthetic in line with the new Mazda6. Expect more power and more space over the current incarnation, as is par for the course with model updates. Possible power plants include 2.0- and 2.5-liter engines for the North American specification sedan. As long as the fantastic driving dynamic of the current Mazda3 is left intact, we'll be happy.
Expect to see more of the all-new Mazda3 sedan, along with the hatchback version, in our coverage of the 2008 LA Auto Show.
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