Just when we thought there could be no more variants of the Mazda3 platform, the company has announced plans of debuting the Mazdaspeed (MPS) at next month’s auto show in Geneva. This will be the third spin-off after the Mazda3 Sedan and the hatchback variant which was unveiled at the Bologna Show.

The sporty Mazdaspeed (MPS) has an aggressive looking front with a big scoop on the bonnet for sucking air into the turbo. The MPS also gets big air dams in the front bumper, a rear diffuser and large diameter twin-tailpipes which make it look fast even when stationary. There is also a big spoiler at the rear which looks cool. The four door configuration continues and makes this a practical sports hatch. Power will come via a turbocharged 4-cylinder 2.3 litre motor that produces 268 bhp. The car would be front wheel drive and no all-wheel option is in store.

With such power and its light weight the Mzda3 MPS would pit it against hot hatches like the Ford Focus RS, Honda Civic Type-R, VW Golf GTI etc. More details are expected nearer to the show date. Mazda will also unveil the Mazda3 with i-STOP, a fuel-saving stop-start technology at the Geneva Motor Show.