Mazda has evolved toward the premium side of the market over the years, but we could soon see a revival of an enthusiast-minded car.
Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, Mazda was a markedly different company than it was today. We had rotary-powered greats like the RX-7 and RX-8, but we also had a line of Mazdaspeed variants, including the Mazdaspeed 3 hatchback. After just a couple generations and a divorce from Ford, Mazda took on a distinctly different strategy in the 2010s that evolved into the brand we know now. There’s a new report from Japan, however, that Mazda may soon bring back an enthusiast favorite with a new Mazdaspeed 3 aimed to take on the Toyota GR Corolla, among the other precious few options left in the hot hatch market.
The report comes from MotorFan, and says the Mazda Spirit 3 racing concept from 2024’s Tokyo Auto Salon will actually inspire a full-on production version. That car also premiered alongside a MX-5-based MSR Roadster, which did become a limited-run model for the Japanese home market.
At the moment, the current Mazda 3 Turbo does get pretty close to prospective hot hatch rivals like the 300-horsepower Toyota GR Corolla. Its 2.5-liter engine kicks out 250 horsepower and a hearty 320 lb-ft of torque, though there’s always some room to push a bit harder. According to the MotorFan article citing ‘informants’, that’s likely where Mazda is thinking. So, if that actually pans out, it likely wouldn’t take too much to boost the SkyActiv-G powertrain up to a cool 300 horses, perhaps with a bit more torque stacked on top to really out-muscle Toyota’s 1.6-liter three-pot turbo.
To complement the extra grunt, a potential Mazdaspeed 3 model would also stick with all-wheel drive, just like the current Turbo and the GR Corolla (as well as the Volkswagen Golf R). That is a departure from the old ‘speed3 since that was front-wheel drive with 263 horsepower. That said, as fun as that car is, tamping down the torque steer for more useful power all around is probably a good decision. Apart from the MX-5 Miata, Mazda has broadly been pushing its capable i-Activ all-wheel drive system across its range from the 3 on up to its full SUV line, too.
Now, will a supposed Mazdaspeed 3 actually make it to production, particularly outside a JDM launch? This latest piece suggests Mazda could reveal something in the first half of 2027, with a new hot version also potentially bringing chassis and aerodynamic tweaks from the current hatch.
Mazda has long had huge engineering talent within its ranks and Mazda Spirit Racing seems like a rich vein to tap with enthusiasts worldwide. That said…we’ve also heard about the rotary making its way back (including at the aforementioned Tokyo Auto Show that spawned the MSR 3 Concept and Roadster), so it’s not unprecedented for hype to build around a Mazdaspeed or RX-8 successor, only for a production version to just not happen.
As ever, we’ll have to wait and see what comes to fruition next year. If this does happen though, I’ll wholeheartedly welcome the return of a proper Mazdaspeed 3 to the ranks after what’s been a decade-plus-long void in the lineup. Alongside the MX-5, it would be great for another performance halo to bring folks enthusiasts back toward the brand.
