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Mazdaspeed3 Returns for 2017, Other Big Changes in Store for Mazda

From the moment that the 2014 Mazda3 was first unveiled, the burning question has been when we’ll be seeing the return of the Mazdaspeed3. Well now it would seem that Mazda is answering the prayers of all hot hatch enthusiasts as Automotive News reports that the souped-up 3 could debut in a couple years.
Mazdaspeed3 1 photo
Photo: Mazda
The report says that the entire Mazda3 lineup will get a major “re-engineering” for the 2017 model year, and along with these changes will bring with it a new Mazdaspeed3. While the idea of all-wheel drive is still a possibility, the new model will receive a turbocharged Skyactiv 2.5-liter engine said to produce around 300 hp. This engine will also be used by the next-gen CX-9 crossover that will be launching that same year.

As we’ve come to expect, the 2017 Mazdaspeed3 will set itself apart from the standard Mazda3 with plenty of performance add-ons and the required styling update to make it a true hot hatch. As extensive as the report says the changes are for the 2017 Mazda3 lineup, it also reveals that an all-new platform will follow a year later for the 2018 model year.

Before the new Mazdaspeed3, the report says that Mazda is also updating the CX-5 and the Mazda6 and introducing an all-new CX-3 crossover based on the subcompact Mazda2. Of course, this is in addition to the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata that will go on sale next summer, and is just about a week from its official global unveiling. Interestingly, it sounds like Mazda is planning to offer a coupe version of the Miata with a “fastback-style silhouette.”

Though far from confirmed, Mazda could also be working on a rotary-engine sports coupe to follow up the RX-7, but rumors about such a car have existed for years so we’ll believe it when we see it. Sadly, the report also indicates that one of the most exciting minivans on the market, the Mazda5, will be phased out next year.
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