This Is the Next Mazda 3… 's Silhouette

The 2019 Mazda 3 will be previewed by a concept at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show on October 24th. Realistic enough to represent an accurate vision of what the fourth-generation Mazda 3 will look like, but not so faithful to a production model that’s entirely realistic, the concept will potentially be more noteworthy due to the Skyactiv-X engine under the hood.

Skyactiv-X, long rumored, was announced more formally in August. A supercharged four-cylinder with sparkless compression ignition should result in substantially more torque and reductions in fuel consumption of more than 20 percent. That could make the next Mazda 3 a 43-mpg car on the EPA combined scale.

As far as the design, Mazda isn’t promising a revolution with the aptly titled Next-Generation Product Concept. In fact, what little Mazda is saying on the subject is tied largely to the high-tech powertrain.

It is, after all, difficult to imagine the current-generation of the Mazda 3 is struggling in the U.S. marketplace because of its exterior design. Like it or not, it’s surely not as divisive as the design of, say, the Honda Civic, currently America’s best-selling car. Cars that stir up great loathing in the minds of TTAC’s commentariat aren’t immune to popularity, as the general public doesn’t necessarily buy cars based purely on exterior styling. Otherwise we’d all be driving Jaguar XK-E coupes and Lancia Fulvias.

But could the Mazda 3, seemingly overnight, become a compact car that offers far superior power and fuel economy? With an attractive body? And “human-centered design philosophy for optimal functionality,” whatever that is? And if all of that did quickly become true, could the Mazda 3’s steady decline on America’s passenger car sales charts be quickly turned around?

Through the first three-quarters of 2017, the Mazda 3 has reported a 19-percent year-over-year U.S. sales decline in a compact category that’s down just 4 percent. That places the Mazda tenth in the category with fewer than 6,700 monthly sales. The 3’s share of the compact market now stands at 3.9 percent, a far cry from the 6.1 percent slice of the pie the Mazda 3 enjoyed in 2012. Sales of the Mazda 3 have fallen 37 percent since 2012. 3 sales are on track this year to fall to a 13-year low.

On a more design-led front, the Next-Generation Product Concept that previews the next Mazda 3 will be accompanied in Tokyo by the “Next-Generation Design Vision.” Mazda claims that car will result “in a more profound expression of the globally-acclaimed KODO design language Mazda debuted on the Mazda CX-5 in 2012.”

[Images: Mazda]

Timothy Cain is a contributing analyst at The Truth About Cars and Autofocus.ca and the founder and former editor of GoodCarBadCar.net. Follow on Twitter @timcaincars and Instagram.