The Mazda 3 was first presented to the general public in 2004 and was especially designed to replace the popular Mazda Familia produced by the Japanese company between 1964 and 2003.
This new Mazda model recorded an impressive success on the market, being the best selling cars in Canada and Israel between 2005 and 2007. Assembled in Hofu, Japan, the Mazda 3 used a different name on the domestic market, being promoted as the Axela but incorporating the same features as the export model. The Mazda 3 was entirely based on the Ford C1 platform, together with the 2003 Ford Focus C-Max, the 2004 Volvo S40 and the 2008 Ford Kuga.