New Mazda3 debuts with Skyactiv-X engine technology
LOS ANGELES: Mazda revealed a redesigned version of the Mazda3 on Tuesday, featuring a high-tech engine and advanced safety systems, in a bold bet on compact cars.
The Japanese automaker unveiled sedan and hatchback versions of the 2019 Mazda3 at a glitzy event in Hollywood on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Equipped with Mazda’s more fuel-efficient high-compression engine, technology that improves pedestrian safety and simplified infotainment controls, the Mazda3 will hit dealerships in early 2019.
The Mazda3 is the automaker’s second most popular vehicle in the United States, trailing only the CX-5 SUV. But sales fell 14.7% in the first 10 months of 2018, reflecting the challenges facing the compactcar segment.
General Motors and Ford have announced plans to stop making most of their passenger cars, while Fiat Chrysler has already done so.
And Mazda’s decision to bet big on the Mazda 3 stands in stark contrast to several of the other major reveals at the L.A. Auto Show this year: hefty models like the Jeep Gladiator pickup, the Honda Passport midsized SUV and the BMW X7 crossover.
In that respect, the Mazda3 is driving against the flow of traffic.
But the automaker is hoping to re-energise the Mazda3’s loyal base of youthful fans and passenger-car devotees by adopting advanced safety features, a brand-new high-tech engine and sleek design.
The new Mazda3 is the first model in the company’s line-up to feature its recently announced Skyactiv-X engine technology, which uses higher compression inside its cylinders to generate power more efficiently than a typical gas engine.
Mazda in January bragged that the technology represented a breakthrough capable of delivering 20% better fuel economy.
While Mazda did not immediately reveal the gas mileage on the new Mazda3 on Tuesday night, a 20% increase over the previous model would boost the car from 31 miles per gallon to 37.
The new Mazda3 will come in several powertrain options: 1.5-, 2- and 2.5-litre gas engines as well as a 1.8-litre diesel engine. The latter may come as a surprise to industry observers who have tracked the swift contraction in diesel cars following Volkswagen’s emissions scandal.
Other key features of the new Mazda3:
A redesigned, 8.8-inch infotainment screen with simplified controls.
A new system that uses an infrared camera and infrared LED to track the driver’s eyes, mouth and face to ascertain whether the person is at risk of dozing off. The system will trigger audio alerts to keep the driver awake when they’re close to falling asleep.
An alert system that detects other vehicles barreling toward the Mazda3 from blind spots to the front-left or front-right.
Technology that helps with steering, braking and accelerating in highway traffic jams.
Mazda’s first-ever driver-side knee airbag, which will be standard equipment.
An impact-absorbing hood to soften the blow of pedestrian collisions — technology that safety advocates have been calling for.