Gasgoo.com (Shanghai November 28) - The Chinese made Mazda3 Xingcheng hatchback made its official debut at the Auto Guangzhou 2011 exhibition last week. The car will join the original Mazda3 Xingcheng and the Mazda3 Xingcheng sedan in helping Changan Mazda stabilize its hold on the country's compact market. A report on nddaily.com today quoted joint venture President Yanagawa Masashi as saying that Changan Mazda has plans to bring over the compact CX-5 SUV early next year.

The Mazda3 Xingcheng sedan made a huge splash in China when it came out this September, with its sales exceeding 11,000 in only two months. The 2.0 L luxury variant was especially popular, with demand outpacing supply. The eight Xingcheng variants are priced between 110,000 and 150,000 yuan ($17,294-$23,583), while the classic Mazda3 starts at 90,000 yuan ($14,150). Mr. Yanagawa has plans to expand the dealership network for the Mazda3 to 180 outlets covering second- and third-tier cities by the end of the year.

According to Mr. Yanagawa, the CX-5 (pictured below), will be the first mass produced Mazda vehicle to use SKY-ACTIV technology. While imports of the CX-5 may be limited in number, Chinese production is scheduled to begin in 2013.