Generation history
The Mazda 3 has been through 4 generations, starting in 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2019. The gaps were 5, 5, 6 years, an average of 5.3. Redesigns come quickly on this model. The current generation began in 2019. On that cadence the next full redesign points to 2023 through 2025, centered on 2024. This is a projection. It comes from the model's own past redesign years, not from the manufacturer. A mid-cycle refresh usually lands in between. Public records describe the current generation this way: An early design prototype of the fourth-generation Mazda3 hatchback was revealed at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show on 17 November 2017. Specifications, trims and the NHTSA safety record are on the Mazda 3 model page.
Every generation
| Generation | Code | Years | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| First generation | BK | 2003–2008 | The BK series Mazda3 was first unveiled at the 60th Frankfurt Motor Show on 10 September 2003, and launched in Japan in October 2003 as the Axela. |
| Second generation | BL | 2008–2013 | In development from 2004 and designed under Kunihiko Kurisu from early 2005 to August 2006, in November 2008 Mazda debuted the second-generation Mazda3 with restyled exterior. |
| Third generation | BM/BN/BY | 2013–2019 | The third-generation 2014 Mazda3 was revealed in Australia on 26 June 2013. |
| Fourth generation | BP | 2019–present | An early design prototype of the fourth-generation Mazda3 hatchback was revealed at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show on 17 November 2017. |
The Mazda 3 spent 5.3 years per generation on average. The current one is 7 years old. Treat 2023 to 2025 as a range, not a date.
Source: Mazda3 (Wikipedia). The estimate is our arithmetic on those start years.
Open the Mazda 3 model page for specifications, trims, safety record and answers.
In more detail
The BK series Mazda3 was first unveiled at the 60th Frankfurt Motor Show on 10 September 2003, and launched in Japan in October 2003 as the Axela. The model was well received by the automotive press for its performance, handling, styling and interior, with some describing it as feeling like a more expensive sports sedan/saloon despite its value-oriented price.
In development from 2004 and designed under Kunihiko Kurisu from early 2005 to August 2006, in November 2008 Mazda debuted the second-generation Mazda3 with restyled exterior. Two engines were offered in the US and Canadian markets, the 2.0-litre petrol engine offered in the previous generation and a new 2.5 L inline-four shared with the second-generation Mazda6. The C1 architecture, a collaboration of Ford, Mazda, and Volvo, is carried over from the previous generation though marginally wider, longer and lighter than the previous generation.
The third-generation 2014 Mazda3 was revealed in Australia on 26 June 2013. Compared to its predecessor, the third-generation model sits atop the new Skyactiv chassis, no longer sharing the Ford C1 platform. It is the third vehicle to adopt Mazda's 'Kodo' design language, after the CX-5 and the Mazda6. It is the first Mazda3 to not be produced under Ford's ownership of Mazda.
An early design prototype of the fourth-generation Mazda3 hatchback was revealed at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show on 17 November 2017. The prototype was sculpted live during the event from clay, based on a design by University of Notre Dame industrial design student Mallory McMorrow. The prototype was the winning entry in the Mazda Design Challenge, in which Mazda teamed up with Facebook to seek design input from college students.
Generation notes adapted from Mazda3 (Wikipedia).
Today's Mazda 3