LA LIVE: 2016 Mazda CX-3

Nov 19, 2014, 3:20pm ET

The CX-3 will compete in the hotly-contested subcompact crossover segment.

Mazda has revealed the CX-3 subcompact crossover at today's Los Angeles Motor Show.

Mazda's smallest crossover shares its platform and the bulk of its mechanical components with the all-new 2016 Mazda2 hatchback. Technical details are vague at best but the automaker has revealed that power for the soft-roader comes from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine bolted to an automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive comes standard and all-wheel drive is available at an extra cost on select trim levels.

Buyers in Europe will have access to a turbodiesel engine and a smaller gas-burning four-banger, but neither unit is currently earmarked for the United States. Similarly, the CX-3's manual transmission will likely remain on the other side of the pond and in its home country of Japan.

The CX-3 borrows styling cues such as a shield-shaped radiator grille and narrow headlights from the aforementioned 2 and the larger Mazda3. Sculpted flanks and sharp horizontal tail lamps emphasize the soft-roader's KODO genes, bringing it in line with Mazda's current design language.

The interior is essentially carried over from the Mazda2. The CX-3 features a simple, function-oriented cockpit with a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, a color screen that pops up from an otherwise bare dashboard and a digital instrument cluster. The crossover will be offered with a long list of high-tech options including a heads-up display.

When it lands in showrooms next year, the Mazda CX-3 will compete in the hotly-contested subcompact crossover segment against the Jeep Renegade, the Nissan Juke, the Honda HR-V and the Fiat 500X. The CX-3's base price will likely lie in the vicinity of $20,000.

Mazda has big plans for this year's LA show. In addition to the CX-3, the Hiroshima-based automaker will also display facelifted versions of the CX-5 and the Mazda6.

Live images by Brian Williams.