LA MOTOR SHOW: Mazda CX-3 revealed

Australians will be among the first in the world to gain access to Mazda's all-new CX-3, which has now been revealed on the eve of the compact SUV's world debut at tomorrow's Los Angeles motor show.

Mazda Australia has confirmed its first small crossover will be available Down Under by around March – immediately following its launch in Japan, the first market to receive it, in the Northern Hemisphere spring.

The Japanese car-maker says the CX-3 will become a core model for Mazda globally – including in Australia, where the new city-crossover will be available with both petrol and diesel engines, as well as in front-wheel drive and all-wheel configurations.

Mazda Australia has not revealed its sales targets but believes sharp pricing and a broad model line-up could make the CX-3 Australia's top-selling small SUV and Mazda's third best selling model. It will also place the Japanese car-maker in seven of the eight mainstream vehicle segments, excluding the shrinking large-car market.

"It has the potential to be the top seller in the segment, which will continue to grow as other new entries arrive," said Mazda Australia marketing chief Alastair Doak.

Currently the Hyundai ix35 is the top-seller in Australia's fastest growing sales segment, with average sales of about 1500 a month. But motoring.com.au understands it and the Volkswagen Tiguan will next year be reclassified by VFACTS as medium SUVs, which based on this year's figures would make Subaru's XV the top-seller with almost 1000 monthly sales.

Mazda says it expects the CX-3 to outsell the new Mazda2 on which it's based (and indeed to reduce the light-car's sales from an average of 1200 a month to 1100), which would make it the third most popular Mazda behind the 3 and Australia's top-selling SUV, the CX-5.

But it will face stiff competition from a host of other new compact SUVs due on sale here next year, including the Honda HR-V, Suzuki Vitara, Renault Captur and Fiat 500X.

Mazda will not provide indicative pricing, although the entry-level front-drive 2.0-litre petrol manual model will open the range from under $25,000, with an all-wheel drive 1.5-litre diesel automatic variant topping the range at more than $30,000.

That will make the CX-3 a direct rival to Australia's most popular sub-$25,000 small SUVs including the Mitsubishi ASX, Holden Trax, Ford EcoSport and Nissan JUKE.

"We can't go into price yet but suffice to say we know where our small SUV competitors are priced and where we need to be," said Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver.

However, the CX-3 will offer a broader model range than any of its rivals, including the ASX, which has averaged less than 800 sales a month this year, and key rivals like the Trax, EcoSport and JUKE – all of which have averaged less than 500.

None of those models are available with a diesel engine, neither the Holden or Ford can be had with AWD, and the EcoSport's most advanced 1.0-litre turbo-triple can only be had as a manual.

Full Australian specifications – including performance and fuel consumption figures – won't be announced until our first Australian drive next month, but the fifth all-SKYACTIV model to come from Mazda will be among the most economical in its class.

Both the 1.5-litre diesel and 2.0-litre petrol engine will be available with six-speed manual and automatic transmissions and with alloy wheel sizes of up to 18-inch.

As with the Mazda2, suspension is via MacPherson front struts and a rear torsion beam, while steering is electric-powered rack-and-pinion and braking is via discs all round.

The CX-5-based AWD system employs an active torque control coupling and what Mazda claims is a world-first front wheel slip warning detection system, "which employs sensor signals to accurately monitor the driver’s intentions and constantly changing driving conditions".

Mazda says high-tensile steel makes up 63 per cent of the body structure, with 29 per cent being ultra-high-tensile steel (780MPa or higher) and four per cent being 1180 MPa.

The five-seat wagon rides on a 2570mm wheelbase and measures 4275mm long, 1765mm wide and 1550mm high, making it about the same length as the Trax and ASX, but about 10mm narrower and 125mm lower.

Technology will extend to the range of MZD Connect infotainment features and i-ACTIVSENSE advanced safety aids (such as a head-up display) available in the Mazda2.

All this is wrapped in a striking five-door body punctuated by LED-illuminated headlights, a grille with signature wing and seven silver-painted fins, blacked-out D-pillars and new Ceramic Metallic paint.