Mazda 3 is Australia's Top Selling Car
In Australia, the bestselling vehicle for 2011, according to the latest VFACTS data released on Wednesday, was Mazda 3, which experts and consumers alike praised for reliability without sacrificing the look-factor. REUTERS

Mazda Motor Corp on Wednesday said it would recall about 494,500 Mazda3/Axela compact cars globally to fix an electronic glitch in the windshield wipers.

The recall covers cars and knock-down parts for the Mazda3 shipped between January 2008 and July 2010. So far no accident has been reported from the defect, a Mazda spokeswoman said.

Of the total, 157,700 units are subject to recall in North America, 91,600 in Europe, 84,000 in China and about 20,000 in Japan.

Earlier in March Mazda recalled more than 50,000 Mazda6 cars in US after finding spider web in the vents.