Mazda 3 unveiled

The stylish Mazda 3 has finally broken cover at the Bologna Motor Show. Sporting a radical, stylish makeover, the five-door hatch clearly intends to meet its straight-laced Golf rival head on.

Sporting a striking new colour – celestial blue – the newcomer boasts a number of exciting developments, including an innovative headlight design.

The protruding, angular lamps help boost the car’s aerodynamics, to a Cd coefficient of just 0.3. Also on offer is also clever blind-spot technology and adaptive dynamic lighting.

The engine line-up includes two versions of the firm’s new 2.2-litre turbo diesel engines – one with 185ps and the other with 150ps. A 1.6-litre turbo diesel plus 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol units will also be on offer. Prices will be announced in January.

But there’s more good news for fans of the hothatch version of this family favourite. Sources revealed last night that an MPS variant will be unveiled as early as Spring, at next year’s Geneva show, sporting a more marked, sporty makeover than the predecessor.

With a tuned version of the existing model’s 2.3-litre turbo engine, which already boasts a heady 260PS, it will also be faster, lighter and more economical than the outgoing model. Bosses said it would be competitively priced too – so expect a price tag just short of the Golf GTI’s anticipated starting price of £21,500, when it goes on sale in the summer.

Bosses added there are no current plans to introduce an MPS version of its Mazda 2, however.