Mazda is celebrating a milestone in production of the Mazda3. It has been twelve years since production started on the first generation Mazda3, and in those twelve years quite a few have been produced. Five million units, to be exact, have been made by Mazda over these years. That’s quite a lot of cars for a smaller manufacturer such a Mazda. The Mazda3 has always been a good choice in the compact hatch and sedan market, and the sales have always been pretty solid for Mazda. It’s accounted for about one third of Mazda’s total sales over the years, and is manufactured around the world.
The first generation lasted for model years 2004-2009. It gained a reputation for its fun to drive dynamics, its good interior, and even its nice styling. Then in 2007, Mazda released the Mazdaspeed3, which gained even more praise from the automotive press just for the sheer power it had, power that hadn’t really been seen in hot hatches before it.
The second generation was introduced in 2010, and lasted until 2013. A much shorter run, but essentially the car was the same underneath the totally new skin. The Speed3 for the second generation gained more power, and was once again praised.
The all-new third generation was introduced in 2013 as a 2014 model, and is built on Mazda’s Skyactiv principals, which means making everything as light and efficient as possible, instead of going hybrid. This all-new chassis has gained much praise from the press as well, just like the previous generations. The car keeps true to its nature of being light and fun to drive, as well as the interior being a very nice place to be. The current car takes Mazda’s “Kodo” design language and applies it in an attractive way, for sure. Although there’s no Mazdaspeed version planned for this model (sadly), it’s still quite a good car.
Mazda Pictures Gallery
Written by: Justin Davis
