From this week, the Mazda3 will roll into showrooms across the country with a fresh and lustrous body colour, Mazda's new Soul Red Crystal.

Released to Australia in April on the Next-Gen CX-5, Soul Red Crystal was designed according to Mazda's 'KODO: Soul of Motion' philosophy, in which colour is considered an important element of form.

Since its debut, the colour has proven a fast favourite with Mazda customers; around 22% of Next-Gen CX-5's sold are in Soul Red Crystal, making it the second most popular body colour on that nameplate.

Balancing vibrant energy and vividness with clear depth and gloss, this colour is an advanced version of Soul Red. Boasting 20 per cent greater colour saturation and 50 per cent more depth than its predecessor, Soul Red Crystal highlights the beauty and quality of KODO design on the Mazda3.

Mazda Australia's Director of Marketing, Alastair Doak, said the release is an example of Mazda's commitment to innovation and evolution of its product range.

"The roll out of Soul Red Crystal is characteristic of Mazda's approach to constantly improving and enhancing the range. The new paint exudes an exuberance that honours the KODO design philosophies and a beauty that truly celebrates driving," Doak said.

The Soul Red Crystal paint retains a simple three-layer structure, comprising clear, translucent and reflective coats.

The new paint's translucent layer features a newly developed, highly saturated red pigment for a richer red.

While the reflective coat uses extremely thin, light-absorbing aluminum flakes that intensify shaded areas to achieve a depth of colour that previously required two layers of paint.

The aluminum flakes are made to a uniform size, the consistency of the paint was enhanced and a technique to shrink the volume of paint during the drying process was employed. The result is smooth and even coverage of the flakes, allowing more precise control of light reflection, making for a substantially deeper and more vivid colour.

The Mazda3 follows the Next-Gen CX-5 and the CX-9 in the Soul Red Crystal roll out, which will see the new paint applied to new and existing models.