Last Cars News Blog: Cutting room floor: Mazda3 sedan designs that didn't make it

Cutting room floor: Mazda3 sedan designs that didn't make it

Click above for high-res image gallery of unused Mazda3 designs

It takes a lot of time and effort to redesign any vehicle, but the problem is magnified when the model in question is an automaker's best-seller. So it's not surprising that Mazda would have a number of unused concepts left over from the team tasked with updating the popular Mazda3 compact. What's more intriguing, however, is just how good some of these unused sketches are. For instance, while we like the overall design of the new '3, take a look at this alternate front face - meaner and more aggressive than the propitious look of the final car.

Not only is a critical eye necessary to be a designer, it also requires a desire to get your hands dirty at times. Full-size clay models need to be shaped and refined in wind tunnels before getting final approval, and the new car needs to at least share a passing resemblance to its predecessor. See the whole process through which Mazda designers trudged in our gallery below.

Gallery: Unused Mazda3 Sketches