Five years and four months after the first Mazda3 - also known as the Axela in Japan- rolled off the line, total global production of the compact model reached two million units at the end of October 2008. Mazda began production of the '3' in June 2003 at its Hofu Plant in Yamaguchi prefecture in western Japan. Since then, the compact vehicle which is available in two body types, 4-door sedan and 5-door hatchback, has been sold in more than 101 countries.The second generation Mazda3 Sedan made its debut at the 2008 Los Angeles Motor Show, which opens to the general public today. The hatchback variant (see here) will be introduced in early December at the Bologna Motorshow.
