Things are really heating up in the most compact end of the crossover world and players like the Nissan Juke and Ford Ecosport will soon have a Mazda to contend with.
Mazda has announced that it will pull the covers off its all-new CX-3 crossover SUV at the Los Angeles motor show in late November.
For now details are as sketchy as the Mazda-supplied image that you see here, which makes the promise that the little kerb-hopper is going to have a sporty design.
The production car will of course look more conservative than this design drawing and will almost certainly have back doors too. If you can imagine the new Mazda2 on steroids then you're probably got a good idea of how it looks.
As the CX-3 will reportedly be based on the Mazda2 platform, we should also expect it to share the contemporary hatchback's engine line-up, which includes a promising little 1.5-litre turbodiesel with 77kW/220Nm on tap and a 1.5-litre normally aspirated petrol that offers 85kW.
Mazda says that the CX-3 will offer the full suite of Skyactiv technologies and is styled in line with the Kodo design language - but then which recently-launched Mazda model isn't?
We're still waiting to hear whether Mazda's Juke fighter is destined for local shores, but either way Mazda's small car game is set to heat up when the new Mazda2 hits local shores early next year. Hopefully the CX-3 follows hot on its heels.