The All-new 2016 Mazda CX-3 Compact Crossover SUV

Mazda debuts the 2016 Mazda CX-3 at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. The new compact crossover SUV is the fifth model in Mazda’s line-up of new-generation vehicles that feature the full range of SKYACTIV Technology and KODO—Soul of Motion design. The CX-3 offers all the essentials people look for in a vehicle; a design of overwhelming quality and style, packaging developed solely with the customer’s ease-of-use in mind, and the responsive driving feel that Mazda strives for in every model.

In pursuing a design of beauty and sophistication, the essence of KODO—the expression of life within a vehicle—has been evolved to produce a sharper form with an enhanced sense of speed. In the interior, meticulous attention to detail regarding the materials used has created a cabin environment of impressive sophistication and quality. In terms of driving performance, the CX-3 adopts the full suite of SKYACTIV technologies, carefully crafted to match human sensibilities. This realizes driving pleasure with faithful response as well as excellent environmental and safety performance.

The powertrain for North America is the SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter gasoline engine, which along with Mazda’s new-generation AWD system delivers powerful and linear driving performance and outstanding environmental performance. To enhance the customer’s driving pleasure, the model also offers a wide range of Mazda’s latest technologies, including the Mazda Connect infotainment system and i-ACTIVSENSE advanced safety features.

With Mazda’s latest design and technology, the Mazda CX-3 is a vehicle to suit the customer’s creative lifestyle in any scene, from inner-city driving to enjoying the great outdoors. The model will go on sale globally, starting from Japan in spring 2015 and is expected to become a new core model in Mazda’s line-up.

Design

Pursuing sophisticated beauty with the latest iteration of KODO
The CX-3 design pursues beauty and sophistication, while expressing Mazda’s KODO design language in the most stylish fashion. Its powerful and highly vital form creates a pure expression of the vehicle Mazda’s designers themselves wanted, one that is not fettered by conventional classifications of vehicle type. The design team worked to create a straight expression of beauty and radical styling for the exterior. Achieving this involved an uncompromising approach to refining the proportions that form the foundation of its beauty and painstaking efforts to eliminate every unnecessary element. For the interior as well, a concerted effort to achieve the appropriate expression to the ambience and fine textures of the materials used realizes a high-quality, sophisticated cabin environment.

Exterior

• The front view of the CX-3 is designed to present a bold look that suits the model’s stylish proportions. The front grille stacks seven fins with silver-painted front edges to create an expression of concentrated energy that flows horizontally. The signature wing is stout and three-dimensional, as if machined from solid metal. It forms the starting point for a powerful sense of speed that flows across the entire body.
• The headlamp layout positions the turn signals outside the main headlamp unit to create a narrow, sharp design suggesting eyes gazing forward. The tips of the signature wing extend into the headlamps with an integrated LED illumination line. This connects seamlessly with the lighting signature that surrounds the low beams, accentuating the model’s taut expression.
• With the peak of the front fenders pushed rearward to lie beneath the base of the A-pillars, the side view of CX-3 conveys a sense of extended body size, far greater than the vehicle’s actual dimensions. Careful attention was devoted to creating the rich expression and subtle changes in each of the body surfaces for the following three sections. The front half of the body features a long nose with a flowing shape; the cabin section presents a sleek look achieved by blacking out the D-pillars; and the solid mass at the rear of the body conveys a look of strength and power.

• The license plate is located in the upper part of the rear bumper to realize a short overhang design that gives the rear a clean look and powerful sense of solidity.
• The CX-3 introduces a newly developed Ceramic Metallic body color. Its expression of a finely honed metallic surface and strong sense of hardness changes in appearance depending on the light hitting it.
• The CX-3 adopts large diameter tires that lend an appealing sense of a powerful drive and positive stance. Optional 18-inch aluminum wheels feature thick, sculpted spokes painted gunmetal gray and contrasted with the brilliant sheen of machined metal.