Mazda3 Turbo hot hatch still possible for Oz

When the Mazda3 Turbo was unleashed in North America in mid-2020, Aussie hot hatch fans started frothing.

And so did Mazda Australia.

Australia’s second most popular car brand has been banging the Mazda3 Turbo drum very loudly for several years – and has no intention of giving up on offering the 186kW hero hatch to customers Down Under.

“It’s on our wish list,” Mazda Australia marketing and product director Alastair Doak told carsales at the recent Mazda CX-90 launch.

“It’s always a possibility,” said the Mazda exec, who agreed the Mazda3 Turbo would “absolutely” be an ideal hero model to take pride of place in showrooms.

“We have a number of vehicles on that wish list that we will keep asking for,” said Doak.

Packing a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that belts out a competitive 186kW of power and 434Nm of torque, the Mazda3 Turbo drives all four-wheels via Mazda’s i-ACTIV all-wheel drive system.

Stiffer springs and revised dampers also help make the Mazda3 Turbo a direct rival for the Toyota GR Corolla and VW Golf R, although manual fans will be crestfallen – it’s only offered with a six-speed automatic transmission.

The Mazda3 Turbo is built in both hatchback and sedan body styles for the US market, but it’s not yet manufactured in right-hand drive.

One of the sticking points is that hot hatches don’t sell in huge quantities in Japan and because demand from Mazda’s domestic market for a RHD version isn’t there, the business case becomes more challenging.

“MMC [Mazda Motor Corporation] know it’s on the wish list but there are other priorities,” said Doak.

“I mean, obviously MMC are launching these larger architecture products [CX-60, CX-90] at the moment. So that’s been the focus.

“But never say never.”

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au