Now that you’ve seen the Toyota Priuses that will be present at this year’s SEMA, how about something from rival Mazda who has a spot at the show in Las Vegas, too. The Japanese manufacturer came up with two tuning ideas based on the Mazda3 and the MazdaSpeed3. They’re both covered in a Crystal White Pearl base coat with soft grey tone graphics with blackened front grille inserts, side mirrors, fog lamp bezels and roof panel. Of the two, the sedan now manages to put out a good 184kW (250hp) and comes with KW Suspension double-adjustable coil-overs and a Tri-Point adjustable rear stabiliser bar, while the MazdaSpeed3 only sports 20 more horsies but uses KW coil-overs, four-piston Stoptech calipers and modified top mounts. Rad!

The key is sporty styling and that is what makes the redesigned Mazda 3 MPS different from its ’siblings. Features like a hood mounted intercooler scoop, a different set of front and rear bumpers, bolder skirting on the sides and 18-inch aluminum wheels with Dunlop tyres complete the sporty theme. As far as the power is concerned, the Mazda 3MPS takes aid of a 2.3-liter DISI turbocharged engine capable of producing 191 kW and 380 Nm of torque. Courtesy of this power, the MPS can pelt from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds and tops it out at 250km/h (electronically limited). The engine is mated to a revised six-speed manual transmission with gear radios that are wider as well as improved drive shafts to bring down the torque steer to minimum.

We managed to got some pictures with the new Mazda 3 Hatchback that the company is going to release next week during the Bologna Motor Show. The five-door hatch is going to pack a 2.2 liter turbo diesel engine (Euro 5 diesel engine) under the hood, which comes in several tuned variations that will sport up to 182 hp. That’s not much news except for the pictures, but at least is a good thing that we’ll get to see it live next week. So what do you think? Is Mazda 3 Hatchback what you expected or what would you have changed? – via WCF