Although these pictures appear to be depicting an unfinished toy model, fact is that the designs you’re looking at were filed by Mazda at OHIM, which is the official European agency responsible for registering trademarks and designs valid in all 27 countries of the EU. As you can see in the snapshots after the jump, the designs were registered by Mazda Motor Corp. at OHIM on July 22, 2008. The designers responsible for the car’s styling are Kunihiko Kurisu, Akira Tamatani, Yuji Ishimoto, Masahiro Kagekata, Tetsuji Kawakami, Masanori Ito and Kenichi Tsushima.

It is more than apparent that the 5-door hatchback seen in these pictures is related to the Mazda3. However, while retaining the basic shape of the current model, the compact hatch borrows plenty of styling cues from Mazda’s latest production and concept cars like the bulgy front wheel arches and the large RX-8-style grille that’s incorporated in the front bumper. At the rear-end we find a pair of Mazda6-inspired tail lamps along with a more concave shaped bumper and a steeper rear-window. -Continued

Despite the fact that we don’t like jumping to any hasty conclusions, we must admit that the designs look eerily close to what we’ve seen in spy photos of the upcoming Mazda3. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait long to find out if these designs are based on the actual production model as the sedan version of the 2010 Mazda3 is expected to make its global debut at the LA Show in November with the 5-door hatchback following in December at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy.

Current Mazda3