Mazda3 With Turbo Engine Seemingly Teased, Debuts July 8

It seems that rumors of a hotter Mazda3 are true as the company has teased on YouTube and social media a more potent version of its attractive compact car. We only get to hear a bit of the engine noise and find out the reveal date – July 8 – but it’s enough to get us excited about a much-awaited beefier powertrain.

According to the latest intel, there’s some good and bad news about the new Mazda3 flavor. It is believed the car is getting a turbocharged engine with all-wheel drive, but it’s expected to come exclusively with an automatic transmission. Don’t hold your breath about the revival of “Mazdaspeed” as it’s apparently not on the agenda. While a Mazda 3 Speed is available in the Philippines, it’s merely a fancier variant of the standard model.

As to what will actually power the turbocharged variant, it could be the 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G found in the CX-5 where it pumps out 250 horsepower and 320 pound-feet (434 Newton-meters) of torque. As a reminder, Mazda has already developed a high-performance Mazda3, but it’s a race car eligible to take part in any of the 36 TCR-sanctioned championships around the world.

Mazda certainly needs to infuse some performance chops into its car considering the VW Golf GTI Mk8 is coming and Toyota has all but confirmed a GR Corolla is in the making. Factor in the Honda Civic Type R and the Hyundai Veloster, Mazda is fashionably late to the party. But as the company says on Twitter, “power comes to those who wait.”

July 8 is less than two weeks away, so the wait is nearly over. In another message on Twitter, Mazda says “keep calm and stay tuned. Plenty of time to rush where we're going.”