Four years on from its 2016 World Car of the Year triumph with Mazda MX-5, Mazda is once again battling it out for the honours in the one of the world's most prestigious car awards.
New-generation Mazda3 and the All-New Mazda CX-30 have been announced as two of the top three finalists for the 2020 World Car of the Year award, with the winner to be announced in Canada on April 8.
Mazda Director – Marketing, Alastair Doak, said having two vehicles in the final three was encouraging for the direction of new generation products.
"We're incredibly proud to have Mazda3 and Mazda CX-30 shortlisted in the final three for the 2020 World Car of the Year award," said Mr. Doak
"Both vehicles represent the first iteration of next-generation Kodo design and boast some really intelligent Skyactiv-Vehicle Architecture and engine technology that has allowed us to reduce emissions and fuel use, while preserving that connected driving experience Mazdas are famous for."
Now in its 16th year, the World Car Awards sees 86 distinguished international automotive journalists submit their pick of the year's best cars based on their independent evaluation of each eligible vehicle.
Since arriving in 2019, Mazda3 and Mazda CX-30 have achieved critical acclaim globally and at home in Australia.
Mazda3 was first to arrive, ushering in a new era for Mazda and setting a new benchmark for the automaker and the small car segment while challenging the established premium brands on design and materials.
Mazda3 debuted the progressive styling of a matured Kodo design language, innovative engineering in Skyactiv-Vehicle Architecture and advanced safety technologies.
The small car was also first to introduce the revolutionary Skyactiv-X engine, which plays an important role in Mazda's pursuit of Sustainable Zoom-Zoom and a key element of its multi-solution approach to emissions reduction. Boasting greater efficiency, the ground-breaking Skyactiv-X engine is the world's first commercially produced spark-controlled compression ignition gasoline engine and will be available in Australia in 2020.
While Mazda3 is a tough act to follow, Mazda CX-30 did just that. Introduced in Australia in February 2020, Mazda CX-30 takes the same innovative, lightweight Skyactiv architecture into the booming small-SUV segment. With increased ride height, more space and cutting-edge SUV styling, Mazda CX-30 further extends Mazdas already impressive SUV line up.
Both Mazda3 and Mazda CX-30 are on sale Australia wide, with Australia to welcome Skyactiv-X on both models later in 2020.
