ABS for 3 as Mazda looks forward to Christmas stocking

November and December will deliver a Christmas bonus to at least one car maker this year. Mazda Australia is looking forward to a busy summer with a bevy of new models due to hit local dealers in the last few months of 2006.

However, before then the maker is also set to reshape the small car market with its latest 3.

Though details will not be confirmed 'til next week, stock of the new 3 is already hitting dealers. And though the car's nip-tuck facelift will grab the eye, it's the added equipment that looks likely to grab the headlines.

CarPoint can now reveal that the entire 3 range will get ABS brakes as standard equipment. The ABS (with emergency brake force distribution and assist) will come at no extra cost, with traction and stability control offered as part of a re-jigged optional safety pack on lower spec models.

The addition is great news for 3 buyers but more importantly (along with a similar safety-focussed value add by Renault with its latest Megane) sets the tone for the small car market for the rest of 2006. Toyota's Corolla may outsell the 3 by a margin thanks to fleet and other institution sales, however, the 3 commands a substantial share of private purchases in this growing market segment. With 15,702 3s sold year-to-date, the model is Australia's fourth most-purchased car.

With June new car sales figures just published, the 'Zoom Zoom' brand sits a clear fourth behind Australia's big three: Toyota, Holden and Ford.

Around 1400 vehicles (or 4.2 per cent) down year-on-year with 32,516 sales to the end of June, the first hints of some reduction in demand for Mazda's outrageously successful line-up might be starting to show, but the updated 3, the arrival of the 190kW 3 MPS and the recently relaunched Tribute should see the brand bounce back.

And the summer line-up looks likely to give Mazda's opposition heartburn too.

Number one on the top importer's hit list is the new CX-7 softroader

Though Mazda is playing it coy on its sales targets for the new high-ride wagon, there's mention of in-excess of 200 units per month as the expected sales volume. Key to this figure is the car's projected price: Mazda is confident the CX-7 will hit dealers for less than $50,000 when it arrives in November.

Also slated for release in November is the turbodiesel-powered version of the Mazda 6. The first 'affordable' medium sized turbodiesel to be offered Down Under in more than a decade, the 6 diesel will likely be a litmus test for manufacturers like Honda which reportedly has a 2.2-litre Accord turbodiesel ready in the wings.

Pricing and spec are yet to be announced for Mazda's oiler but our guess is the car will arrive in Sports Luxury hatch form, with perhaps a lower-spec sedan thrown into the mix for good measure.

Mazda sources say that customer feedback on the car has been strong since its unveiling at the Sydney motor show last October. It's that customer feedback that is shaping the final spec of the car for its Australian debut.

October sees the folding hardtop Roadster-Coupe version of the MX-5 arrive Down Under. With the 6 and 3 MPS (for more click

Pricing is yet to be confirmed for the hardtop MX but Mazda sources have suggested that the target is "under $50,000" for the manual transmission version.

The final piece of Mazda's Christmas bonus puzzle is the B-Series light commercial replacement (for more information click