GALLERY - MAZDA 3 MPS MAZDASPEED 3 - 3 PICTURES

3s come in threes, or so it appears. Mazda's turbocharged hatchback will officially debut in Geneva at an auto show, but pictures are already available online. Mazda, no longer under Ford's dominant wingspan, will likely stay the course with zoom-zoom marketing. To do so, cars which zoom are important.

This is the Mazda 3 MPS, known in the previous generation's North American incarnation as the MazdaSpeed 3. Front-wheel drive and lots of horsepower are the order of the day. Start-stop technology should improve fuel consumption by 12%, Mazda believes, and will show on the 3 i-stop. As for the MazdaSpeed 3, Mazda promises " an entirely new level of quality and pleasure". 

Check out the pics surrounding the text for weird angles and a smiley face. Clearly, the MPS's most defining characteristic is the new hood scoop, something that should lessen the stealth of the hot version of the 3 while at the same time showing your friends you sprung for speed.