Four New 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 Spy Shots from N�rburgring

Posted on 27. Oct, 2008 by DeuxEx3 in Mazda3 Guide, Mazdaspeed3 Guide, What's Hot

The 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 prototype’s laps around the ‘ring might just be the most photographed ever. Fresh off of last week’s first ever spy shots of the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 and the second photo set that soon followed comes the latest spy shots courtesy of popular Australian auto blog Drive.com.au.

The spy photos don’t show off any changes that weren’t uncovered in last week’s spy shots but they do offer a more up close and sharper look at the future Mazdaspeed 3.

Drive.com.au journalist Jez Spinks provides some new insight on some of the changes and why they were made:

The redesigned front end on the 2010 Mazda 3 does not provide sufficient air flow to the top-mounted intercooler of the Mazdaspeed 3. To address this Mazda added the hood scoop you see in the photo above and gallery below.
The Mazdaspeed 3’s power output, currently at 263 hp in the U.S., is likely to remain around this number and may only see a slight increase. This confirms a prediction late last week by Global Motors who claimed the next generation Mazdaspeed 3 would use the 2.3-liter powerplant found in the current model.

If the next gen Mazdaspeed 3 remains the same in the power department it may be because Mazda is now focusing on weight reduction to increase fuel economy and handling. Bill Caven of the Perthshire Advertiser noted that Mazda has reduced the weight of the 2010 Mazda 3 by an impressive 25% as compared to the outgoing model.

Spinks’ source inside Mazda also alludes to Mazda’s desire to make the Mazdaspeed 3 a more refined “all-around hatch” that competes directly with the Volkswagen Golf GTI by tweaking the electronic limited-slip differential and torque control measures in the 2010 ‘Speed3 to control torque steer.

Lastly, Spinks highlights recent European speculation that Mazda will use a 2.2-liter turbo diesel motor to power a Mazdaspeed 3 variant around the world (not in the U.S. unfortunately).

Auto Shows

The 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 isn’t likely to see an official unveiling until the Detroit Auto Show or possibly even the Geneva Auto Show in 2009. The 2010 Mazda 3 sedan will debut (in person) at the Los Angeles Auto Show in mid-November with the hatchback model following shortly after at Italy’s Bologna Motor Show in early December.