Mazda And Self-Proclaimed "Car Girl" Bring 2018 Mazda3 To Life At 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show

It's neither a commuter vehicle nor boring sedan; It is also not an undersized sports coupe or awkward, disproportionate hatchback. The 2018 Mazda3 is nothing more than a lump of clay on stage at the Mazda booth at the 2007 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show - and the vision of Mallory McMorrow of South Bend, Indiana, the winner of the 2007 Mazda Design Challenge. However, by the time the auto show comes to a close at the end of the week, an exciting, life-size model will have been created - and a talented woman will be one step closer to fulfilling her automotive design career dream.

In a landslide victory, McMorrow's entry was voted number one by Facebook members as part of the first-ever program between Mazda North America (MNAO) and the social networking site. To enter, contestants submitted a 150-word description of their vision of the 2018 Mazda3 and an optional sketch drawing.

An Industrial Design major at the University of Notre Dame, McMorrow, 21, of Whitehouse, New Jersey, first heard of the Mazda Design Challenge from her professor, Paul Down. Dubbed "the car girl" by her classmates in the Industrial Design department, McMorrow, who discovered her love for cars at a young age, jumped at the chance to enter.