Next gen Mazda 3 (sketch and info only)

[van]

If it looks anything like the sketch, this will be the hottest consumer car I've ever seen! Too bad about the FWD, this would be a damn fun little RWD heh.

Autblog link

Slow news Friday always gets us to dig a little deeper to find interesting material on which to post, which led us today to the CarSpyShots.net forum where we found a detailed description of the next generation Mazda 3. Forum member xander80 is a focus group junkie, and he's attended two for the next generation Mazda 3 already. The first one included various competitors of the Mazda 3, the current model and two prototypes. The second focus group he just attended, however, only had one of the prototypes, which indicates that Mazda has likely narrowed down candidates for the next gen 3 to this model. xander80 describes what he saw in detail, highlights of which include a longer wheelbase and length, Lexus IS-shaped LED taillights, a pointed trunk lid, and a "baby" RX-8 front end with bulging wheel arches over the front wheels and no grille. Fellow forum member 6speed whipped up the above rendering based on the description. While nothing close to the car we're imagining in our heads right now, other CarSpyShot.net forum members have vowed to produce photochops based on the description, as well. Let us know when they're up guys and we'll host them here.

Read the full description in xander80's words after the jump...

[Source: CarSpyShots.net]

"The doors looked indentical to the current car, but upon closer insection were in fact different, incorporating all new sheetmetal. Overall size grew at least a couple inches in wheelbase and length. The silhouette and proportions were the same as the current car, with the rear trunk-lid coming to a point in the center and Lexus IS shaped taillights, using what appeared to be strips of LED's. The front of the car what the real head turner, looking like a baby RX-8, with bulging arches over the wheel wells and NO GRILLE, only a large air intake in the bumper with smaller corner ones that could be used to house fog lights. The headlights were a little larger than the ones on the current 3, same idea but were pulled/stretched up the hood. Overall, the car looked awesome, more sophisticated and a bit more grown up."

[lovesil]

looks nice! Although the middle to rear looks like a Subaru Liberty (which i like alot).

[Alfadog]

My my, what big eyes you have!

That's a pretty odd sketch...

[doofus]

LOL

yeh that stetch sure looks stunning!

[SP2333]

There is a tiny bit of gossip about a news RX3 with renesis

[VTECMACHINE]

looks a bit like aston martin from frontish...

[Project1JZ]

The sketch looks like it was done in Illustrator or something. Anyway... if that's the new 3, that's going to be a hot little car. Mazda's been coming up with some great designs of late (except for the production RX8, the concept sketches for it looks better... jmo).