The Mazda3 Is the Latest Small Car to Hit It Big: TDS
The Drive ·
Mazda's stylish compact sedan and hatch just enjoyed a stellar month of sales, continuing the small-car boom that's played out through 2026. The post The Mazda3 Is the Latest Small Car to Hit It Big: TDS appeared first on The Drive .
Good morning and welcome to The Downshift , a daily sweep of today’s top headlines from the auto industry and car culture, curated by The Drive’s editorial team. Each story gets a short summary and a link to the original source if you want to dive deeper.
Big thank you to Joel Feder for holding down the fort while I was away for a lengthy weekend of driving instruction and endurance-race spectating—but more on that later. Here’s what’s cooking on Monday, October 5, 2026:
The Mazda3 is not a new car by any stretch, but it just had one heck of a September, with sales up nearly 150%. In raw numbers, it’s not a ton, because obviously the 3 isn’t a super-high-volume model; the automaker moved 3,704 units last month, compared to about 1,500 one year earlier. Nevertheless, it’s another example of American car buyers looking to sedans and hatchbacks for some relief from stratospheric gas prices in recent months. If only we cared this much about compact cars when gas is cheap. [ Autoblog ]
Turns out Miata fans aren’t exactly champing at the bit for an electric version of the iconic roadster, at least down under. That’s according to Vinesh Bhindi, who runs the automaker’s Australian affiliate. During an SUV launch there, Bhindi said, “I know there have been reports that our president, [Masahiro] Moro-san, has indicated it would have some level of electrification, but at this stage it’s MX-5 owners … who are all saying, ‘When can I get the pure analog version of the next generation?’ [ CarExpert ]
We’ve got some new images of the first-ever electric BMW M3, straight from the brand itself. It’s still camouflaged, but despite this, we can tell that it closely follows the blueprint established by the stunning M Concept Neue Klasse, revealed earlier in the year, only in a less extreme way. By the looks of it, it’s not quite as wide as that very stout prototype, and the huge diffuser out back has been scaled down as well. [ BMWBlog ]
In other BMW news, the X3 M50 is getting a smidge more powerful for 2027, with a 44-horsepower bump, making for a 437-hp total. Without an X3M going at the moment, it’s the most potent version of BMW’s compact SUV. [ Autoblog ]
Honda Racing Corporation CEO Koji Watanabe will retire at the end of 2026, handing over the reins to Keiichi Yasuda, the division’s current executive vice president and representative director. Watanabe will step down after five years at the helm, during which time Honda’s motorsport efforts saw great change and global realignment. [ Racer ]
The U.K. is developing a tariff proposal for Chinese cars, per The Times , that would reportedly match the 45% levy that Europe has placed on the country’s automotive exports. [ Reuters ]
Renault Group CEO François Provost said over the weekend that “if the social and political context allows it,” the company will earmark $11 billion for developing electric vehicles and cheaper cars in France over the next five years. Renault does have some recent successes on those fronts, between the electric 5 hatch and reborn Twingo, which is simply a design triumph. [ Reuters ]
Finally, EVs in Europe are enjoying a record year, with 1.64 million of them sold from January through August, working out to a 45% year-over-year increase. [ Reuters ]
Weekend race winners:
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The post The Mazda3 Is the Latest Small Car to Hit It Big: TDS appeared first on The Drive .