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New Mazda3 looks just like Mazda Kai concept in spy photos

Just a couple of weeks before the official reveal, one of our spy photographers caught the next-generation Mazda3 out testing in minimal camouflage. The car was a hatchback model, testing alongside a VW Golf and Audi A3, and was only wrapped in thin vinyl. As a result, we can clearly see that the new compact Mazda hatchback looks just like the stunning Kai concept from last year's Tokyo Motor Show. The car features effectively the same nose and profile of the concept. The main grille is larger than the current model, and it leans forward aggressively. The windshield is very low and sleek. The rear portion of the car is dominated by the very thick C-pillar that leans far forward, augmenting the car's athletic stance. The window sill at the rear kicks up sharply, and the rear window doesn't wrap around or bulge out, giving the car a very tight, taut shape. It's not just the outside of the 3 we get to see. We get a good look at the interior. It also looks very much like the Kai's interior, with the focus being the driver. The gauges are flanked by air vents that blend into the shape of the instrument binnacle. The rest of the dashboard is left as uncluttered as possible. The climate controls and vents all reside in the same long horizontal plane. The infotainment screen, which appears to be touch-sensitive based on one spy photo, is canted toward the driver. Mazda's rotary controller does return, as seen in the center console. Also in the center console is the manual shift knob, which we expect, or at least hope, will continue to be available in the U.S. We'll have answers to all our questions about the Mazda3 at the end of this month when it makes its debut at the L.A. Auto Show. We'll also see the sedan version of the car. The powertrain is the biggest mystery at the moment. Mazda showed the Kai with the Skyactiv-X engine, Mazda's spark-controlled compression-ignition gasoline engine. We've driven a development car with the engine, and Mazda seemed to intend the new Mazda3 to use it, but we're not sure if the engine will be ready for the car's launch. If not the Skyactiv-X engine, or perhaps in addition to, Mazda will probably use versions of its current engines. It could carry-over the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter four-cylinders currently used. The latter may use the cylinder deactivation now used on the Mazda6 and CX-5. We would love to see the company finally offer the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine from the Mazda6, CX-9, and now CX-5.

A Mazda Miata with a Hellcat V8 exists, and it can be yours

Mazda Miatas with V8 swaps aren't unusual. Kits are available to drop in LS V8s from GM, and some even let you drop in an old Ford 5.0-liter V8. But a Miata with a Hellcat V8 is something special, and this one can be yours. As Automobile spotted, it will go across the block at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction. This particular 1999 Miata has a build history you can check out for yourself, too. It was all chronicled on YouTube channel KARR. Obviously the Hellcat engine does fit between the wheels, but the hood had to be cut open for the intake manifold and supercharger to fit. The front bumper and lights have been changed to the 2001+ NB Miata design. According to the listing, it has suspension components from V8 Roadsters, a company that specializes in Miatas with twice the normal number of cylinders. In the middle of the car is a manual transmission, which connects to a Ford 8.8-inch differential that's been welded up. With that much power and an essentially locked rear diff, it should make for an excellent drift car. Fortunately it also has 10-inch wide wheels for more grip, and upgraded Wilwood brakes to stop it. It will go for auction at Barrett-Jackson's Las Vegas event, which runs Oct. 3-5. There is no estimated price for the car, which is understandable since nothing like it has crossed the block before. It will go to a new owner, whatever the price, as it is being listed as "no reserve." So if you want to win burnout contests or get loads of stares at next year's Woodward Dream Cruise, you could do a lot worse than picking up this tiny monster. Aftermarket Dodge Mazda Convertible Performance Hellcat

Mazda files patent applications for inline-six technology, new transmission

We've known for some time that Mazda is one of the OEMs getting back on the inline-six engine bandwagon, and a report from Japan gives us a glimpse of some of the automaker's plans. Mazda has filed patent applications for both new exhaust components (depicted with an inline-six) and a new eight-speed automatic transmission.  The news comes from a blog called T's Media (fire up Google Translate), which located the new hardware in two separate fillings, one for exhaust system components and one for the new transmission.  Mazda's lineup has been exclusively powered by four-cylinder engines since the demise of the last-generation CX-9, which utilized a 3.7-liter V6 sourced from Ford. Since, Mazda has relied on turbocharging to get more power out of its SkyActiv four-pots, but changes may be coming. Prior reports have indicated that Mazda wants a new, larger engine architecture to power vehicles built on a new, larger platform. This new chassis is expected to accommodate longitudinal, rear-wheel drive powertrains, which could spawn larger crossovers and SUVs. It could also potentially underpin a new rear-wheel drive coupe, if Mazda decides to go that route.  While the inline engine itself is not news, what we're seeing here might actually be hints as to Mazda's approach to the next generation of its SkyActiv engine architecture. Mazda's exhaust patent seems to describe a scalable — perhaps even modular — setup intended to be used with inline and potentially even V-engines.  "Provided is an engine exhaust structure capable of securing exhaust efficiency while reducing the size of the engine by changing the structure of an exhaust port," a translation of the patent application's introduction says. "[T]here has been proposed a technique for collecting exhaust gas discharged from each cylinder inside a cylinder head without using a separate exhaust manifold with the aim of downsizing the engine." In other words, Mazda is looking for ways to make its future engines more compact, and the strategy detailed here is the use of an integrated exhaust manifold, similar to what other automakers (such as Honda and Ford) have utilized on their smaller-displacement turbocharged engines. The sketch above of an inline-six engine with just two exhaust ports illustrates this concept.  The eight-speed transmission, while noteworthy in its own right as Mazda currently relies on aging six-speeds, doesn't seem to offer us anything particularly game-changing.  Related Video: