Fresh Mazda3 a month away

Mazda Australia will introduce a comprehensive midlife makeover for its top-selling model, the Mazda3, in August.

The first major upgrade for the third-generation Mazda3 since its Australian launch in January 2014 will be distinguished by more sophisticated front-end styling, as revealed via a Japanese brochure image leaked by Carscoops.com in May.

But the more upmarket, Mazda6-style front bumper, grille and headlight treatment will also be accompanied by more convenience and safety equipment, plus a revised chassis including retuned suspension and steering and Mazda's new G-Vectoring Control (GVC) technology.

Presented to European media earlier this month and to Australian and US press this week, GVC has been confirmed to make its local debut in the Mazda3 by the end of this year.

However, motoring.com.au sources have confirmed it will be part of the upgraded Mazda3 range to be launched to Australian media on June 28 and on sale nationally from August.

GVC, which is claimed to improve cornering grip, straight-line stability and passenger comfort by limiting engine torque according to steering angle, requires only additional software.

It will eventually be rolled out across all Mazda models, starting this year with volume-selling models like Australia's Mazda3 and North America's Mazda6, which will be introduced without other chassis updates.

Mazda Australia introduced an updated Mazda6 with a host of safety upgrades in February, after introducing a number of running changes a year earlier, including more equipment, retuned suspension, revised seats, an electric parking brake, extra sound deadening and minor interior cosmetic update.

Motoring.com.au understands many of these changes will also be applied to the Mazda3, which was Australia's top-selling new vehicle in 2011 and 2012 before being outsold by the Toyota Corolla for the past three years.

To May this year, Hyundai's i30 has outsold both the Corolla and Mazda3, which lies within 500 sales of both models, but Mazda Australia managing director Martin Benders says that pecking order is unlikely to change given the fleet deals offered by Toyota and Hyundai.

"The Mazda3 midlife change will bring not only G-Vectoring but changes to suspension, steering, design and technology, so it's a significantly improved car," he said.

"Our share is up in declining [small car] segment, but it [the upgraded Mazda3] is unlikely to reclaim the number one spot because we don't engage in the rental car business our competitors do."

Watch this space for our first test of Mazda's new G-Vectoring Control system.