Haima 3: the Mazda-based compact that became the Family

The Haima 3 was a compact car produced in China from 2007 to 2013 by Haima, the company that grew out of the Hainan Mazda joint venture. It rode on the platform of the ninth-generation Mazda Familia/323, but wore a completely restyled body that leaned heavily on the look of the mechanically unrelated Mazda3.

Haima 3 at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Haima 3.

History of the Haima 3

A Chinese Mazda underneath

Haima began life as Hainan Mazda Motor, a joint venture between China’s Hainan province and Mazda that assembled Mazdas for the local market. That inheritance shaped the Haima 3: underneath the new body sat the platform of the ninth-generation Mazda Familia, known in most export markets as the 323. Haima had used the same approach before, and the 3 took over from the Haima Family sedan, itself a rebadged Mazda 323.

A body borrowed from the Mazda3

The body was completely new for Haima, and its designers looked for inspiration to a car that shared no mechanical parts with it at all: the Mazda3 of the mid-2000s. The result was a compact saloon that read as a contemporary Chinese family car rather than as an ageing Japanese design, even though its suspension and floorpan were a generation older.

Engines, and a change of name

Buyers could choose between a 1.6-litre and a 1.8-litre engine, driving the front wheels through either a five-speed manual gearbox or a CVT. The model ran until 2013, but its last years were spent under another name: the facelifted car of 2011 was sold as the Haima Family once more, at prices between 79,800 and 84,800 yuan. The Haima nameplate stayed on a Mazda platform for a few years longer, until Haima began developing cars of its own.

Design and features

• Mazda platform: the proven floorpan of the ninth-generation Mazda Familia/323, a generation behind the body it carried.
• Modern-looking shell: a completely restyled body whose lines followed the Mazda3 of the same years.
• Two engine sizes: 1.6 and 1.8 litres, with a five-speed manual or a CVT.
• Family-car positioning: a four-door compact saloon aimed at Chinese buyers moving up from smaller cars.

Haima 3 versions

• Haima 3 (2007–2011): the original car, with the Mazda3-inspired front and rear.
• Haima 3 hatchback: a five-door version sold alongside the saloon.
• Haima Family (2011–2013): the facelifted model, renamed and priced from 79,800 to 84,800 yuan.

The Haima 3 took over from the Haima Family and was itself renamed Family after the facelift; the compact MPV of the same years was the Haima Freema. More cars are in the Haima collection.

Sources

• Haima 3, English Wikipedia: platform, engines, renaming, prices