2010 Mazda3 to get two new engines and stop/start technology

Mazda is close to completing work on the next-generation Mazda3 and is expected to bring the car to the 2008 LA Auto Show next month. The hatchback was recently caught testing in Iceland where Mazda engineers told AutoCar that it was “90 percent finished.”

Based on the current model, the next-generation Mazda3 will get a total redesign with styling influenced by the Nagare design theme and the new RX-8 nose. The interior also sees upgrades with a new center console and gear-shift.

AutoCar says that Mazda has developed two new engines including a 150-hp 2.0L direct-injection petrol unit and a 185-hp 2.2L turbodiesel. Fuel-economy is improved by 10 percent with weight-saving technologies and with Mazda’s new SISS stop/start system recently displayed in the Kiyora concept in Paris.

The next-generation MazdaSpeed3 is expected to get a 250-hp engine from the Focus ST.

Source: AutoCar