Mazda Shinari

Automotive designers often conceive themes on which production models are inspired and in some cases, a theme can also be used for a series of models, providing a ‘family look’ that is also identifiable with the brand. In recent times, Mazda has been using themes first shown on their concept cars and then applying certain design elements in production models.

 

Since launching its first passenger car, the R360 Coupe, exactly 50 years ago, Mazda has spent many years exploring the concept of 'motion,' offering customers designs that are exciting both to view and to drive. In particular, since the launch of the Zoom-Zoom brand message ten years ago, Mazda has pursued the concept of more athletic and sporty motion, and has adopted dynamic designs for all Mazda models starting with the Mazda6 and followed by the RX-8 and the Mazda2. In recent years, this motion-based design has been further extended to incorporate the theme of 'motion inspired by nature', embodied in the Mazda Nagare concept car series and the all-new Mazda5.

 

Now, as a new decade begins, the company has announced a new design theme it calls  ‘Kodo - Soul of Motion'. This new theme is being previewed in the Shinari, Mazda’s latest concept car. Kodo will become the basis for the design theme of coming models.

 

Ikuo Maeda, the head of Mazda's Design Division, explains the new design theme in this way: "In our work to further evolve the expression of motion, Mazda Design has focused on the strength, beauty and tension found in the instantaneous movement seen in animals. This motion that is so full of vitality that it stirs the emotions of those who see it. We have named it 'Kodo - Soul of Motion', and our aim is to express movement with forceful vitality and speed as the design theme for Mazda's upcoming models."

 

He adds: "Mazda's four design studios located in Japan, Europe, and North America, are currently combining to take up the challenge to achieve a breakthrough in the expression of motion in car design, and incorporate this expression into our future products."
 

 

The Shinari concept car, which is the idealized form of Kodo, is a 4-door, 4-seat, sports coupe, showcasing several new design elements that will carry forward into production models. The Japanese word shinari describes the powerful, yet supple, appearance of great resilient force when objects of high tensile strength, such as steel or bamboo, are twisted or bent. It also refers to the appearance of a person or animal as it flexes its body in preparation for a fast movement, and it is these images that form the basis for the name of this concept car.

 

With images of strength flowing across every panel and part, the Shinari looks ready to leap at any second. This form incorporates the expression of a strong backbone running through the body, the sudden release of pent-up energy, and the interplay of beautiful, supple movements.
 

 

The distinctive front fenders represent a further evolution of the prominent fenders introduced on the RX-8. They highlight the dynamic movement expressed in the sides of the concept car, in a style that is both sporty and elegant. Together with the further three-dimensional sculpting of the front grille, the design proudly emphasizes the Mazda lineage. There is a powerful line of movement originating at the grille and continuing through the bonnet, fender, front lamp modules and bumper. Finally, an aluminium floating bar linking the grille with the headlights enhances the three-dimensional expression of speed.

 

In the cabin, Mazda Design has created the 'ultimate athletic space' focused on linking ergonomics with basic mechanical functions. It is said to be ‘the optimum space for both the driver cockpit, to enable the driver to focus on the task of driving, as well as the passenger environment, offering a sense of openness’. In this model, Mazda offers new ideas for the human-machine interface in cockpit design, enabling the driver to switch at will between three modes: Business, Pleasure and Sport, to enjoy driving at all times.

 

 
 

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