The new Mazda3 will be the focus of Mazda's 2013 display at the Frankfurt International Motor Show.  Although it won't go on sale in the UK until January 2014, the car is currently proving itself on the road during an extreme 9,300 mile Mazda Route3 Hiroshima-Frankfurt Challenger Tour 2013 endurance test from Japan to Germany.

Available in hatchback or fastback, the new shapes also save fuel - thanks to an aerodynamically clean design, with Cd values of 0.258 (fastback) and 0.275 (hatchback). Larger than the outgoing model in most respects, the all-new Mazda3 also gets an optimised Human-Machine Interface (HMI).  Highlights of the HMI include the Active Driving Display, Mazda's new head-up display.

The all-new Mazda3 hatchback and fastback share the enlarged 2,700mm wheelbase - the longest in the C-segment and 60mm longer than the current Mazda3's.

The Mazda's connectivity system safely brings an array of online content into the vehicle, including Facebook and Twitter audio feeds, with tens of thousands of other services, from radio to audio books and more. Despite performance-enhancing changes that normally add weight - such as bigger brakes and bigger wheels - all-new Mazda3 is lighter than the current model, with kerb weights starting from 1,200kg (fastback) and 1,190kg (hatchback), making it one of the lightest C-segment cars.

British buyers will be offered a choice of three naturally-aspirated petrol powerplants, and one turbocharged diesel - all fitted with i-stop, Mazda's idle-stop system, as standard.