2015 MAZDA 3

Mazda’s Best-Selling Vehicle Features More Standard Content, Repackaged Options

All new in 2014, Mazda3 is in its third generation and with nearly four million vehicles sold worldwide continues to be the brand’s best-selling vehicle in North America and globally. Year to date, Mazda3 has captured 54 percent of Mazda’s passenger car sales in the U.S. and more than 33 percent of the brand’s total vehicle sales1. The 2015 Mazda3 began hitting showrooms in August and, although a carryover model year, includes an array of new standard features and package content.

“Mazda3 is a compact car that doesn’t shy away from enormous expectations,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). “Its segment is a sales juggernaut for many reasons. Compact cars are roomy without being bulky, offer impressive fuel economy, have starting prices consumers can afford and also can be seen as a sort of testing ground for new technologies. To remain competitive in a segment where consumers are eager for the next big thing, Mazda3 needs to have lofty goals – and meet them.”

Since entering the market as a redesigned vehicle last year, Mazda3 has not only hit its targets but also exceeded them. Similar to its new-generation SKYACTIV®2 TECHNOLOGY and KODO “Soul of Motion”-designed brethren such as the CX-5 compact SUV and Mazda6 mid-size sedan, Mazda’s compact car has earned itself critical acclaim by topping “Best Car” lists and receiving “Car of the Year” nods. For 2015, Mazda3 remains poised, looking to maintain its head-of-class status while continuing to pursue new objectives.

Balanced and Precise

Low and lean, the 2015 Mazda3 sits on a 106.3-inch wheelbase with four-doors measuring at 180.3 inches in length and five-doors curtailing 4.7 inches to 175.6. With vehicle height at 57.3 inches and its width at 70.7 inches, Mazda3 offers an ample 38.6 inches of front-row headroom (without moonroof) and 37.6 inches in the rear. Front and rear legroom are measured at 42.2 and 35.8 inches, respectively.

And what do these measurements mean? Nothing, if presentation is wasted. Thankfully Mazda has a knack for doing more with less and creating opportunities not apparent at first. KODO design is an example of this resilience.

Taking visual and emotional cues from the environment, particularly the movements of wildlife that thrive within its savannahs, jungles and forests, Mazda designers sought to capture this build-up of power and fluidity of motion. Every sculpted angle and sinewy form was crafted to breathe life into a supposedly inanimate object. But the philosophy is that vehicles are alive, communicating an instinctive bond between itself and the driver behind the wheel. If the heart beats with exhilaration whenever the roar of an engine comes to life, why can’t a design produce the same excitement?

At all times, from every angle, Mazda3 is stunning. Compact cars often times are derided with the “my first (cheap) car” stigma but vehicles of any segment at any price should always strive to look amazing. By being named a top three finalist for this year’s World Car Design of the Year is further proof of Mazda3 tossing out the stereotype that affordable vehicles cannot offer rich designs, especially when the co-finalists were long-lauded German luxury brands.

The 2015 Mazda3 offers sophisticated artistry, from the vehicle’s cab rearward posture and highly raked profile to its five-point “signature wing” chrome-accented grille and flexing rear fenders. And every stroke was made with purpose, to capture reflections and invoke dramatic depth in the paint. Not surprisingly, the design team’s efforts carried a dual responsibility: fuel economy.