By Staff Reporter

The possibilities of Mazda to introduce a Golf GTI-eating hatchback could be imminent since Kota Beppu, the Mazda3 programme manager expressed his interest in building a go-faster car he referred to as a “hyper” version.

According to Autocar, the hot hatch hasn’t been signed off just yet, company insiders have told Autocar that it’s merely a formality.

It remains to be seen if South Africa will get the Mazda hot hatch since reports state that the model is mainly targeted to the “most developed countries,” such as the United States, Australia, and Japan.

A four-cylinder turbocharged 2.5-litre unit could possibly power the new Hyper car and it will develop 186 kW of power. Torque figures remain unknown but speculations point out that the model could spawn as much as 570 Nm sent to all four wheels.

If green-lighted for production, the hotter Mazda3 probably go head-to-head with the Golf GTI and Ford ST.