Mazda Motor Corporation this week announced its new design theme called ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’. With it, the manufacturer showed off its Mazda Shinari concept, which embodies the new design philosophy.
Since launching its first passenger car, the Mazda 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, 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 and the all-new Mazda5.
As a result of these initiatives, since the launch of the first Mazda6 in 2002, Mazda design has been the subject of great acclaim, receiving 30 global awards for car design alone.
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.”
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.
The Shinari’s distinctive front fenders represent the further evolution of those introduced on the RX-8. Lines at the front of the concept car emphasise power and extend from the front grille through the bonnet, fender, front lamp modules and bumper.
On the inside, Mazda Design has focused on linking ergonomics with basic mechanical functions. Mazda say they have designed the “optimum space for both the driver cockpit, to enable the driver to focus on the task of driving”, at the same time passengers are offered a sense of openness within the cabin.
The Shinari concept incorporates three driving modes, namely ‘Business’, ‘Pleasure’ and ‘Sport’, which allow the driver to adjust the car’s driving characters.
