Hakaze and Nagare light up Mazda’s name

Not much was displayed by Mazda at the 2007 New York Auto Show but it’s two concepts the Hakaze and Nagare lit up Mazda’s name bringing attention to Ford’s pride and joy. The Mazda Hakaze is a four-seat coupe-style compact crossover SUV that is supposedly the basis of a new CX-5. The Nagare concept features butterfly-wing doors, a hydrogen-powered fuel cell drivetrain and a novel one plus three seating arrangement — the driver sits alone up front, with the rear given over to ‘lounge-seating’ for three. Check out the video and images of both concepts.

Mazda's Hakaze design concept offers "acceptable" fuel economy

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the Mazda Hakaze design concept.

Mazda Motor Corporation is to premier the Hakaze, its third concept car based on its 'Nagare' design language, at the 77th annual Geneva International Motor Show to be held from the 6th through to the 18th of March. The word Nagare means "flow" and "the embodiment of movement" in Japanese and applying it to car design involved analyzing motion itself and how forces like wind and water move in nature.

"Nagare is about capturing motion, energy and beauty, and translating it into forms that people connect with and want to touch. Nagare finds its inspiration in nature, and as such is an incredibly rich source for our designers."
-Laurens van den Acker, General Manager Design Division

Mazda's Advanced Product Planning team set the concept's designers to the task of creating a vehicle that was just as agile and fun to drive as a compact hatchback, while offering attributes like open-top driving, a higher seating position, more sporty driving attributes and a modern, upscale design. The result was the Hakaze design concept, a four-seat coupe-style compact crossover coupe with the feel of a roadster designed at Mazda's European Design Centre which meets the demands of adventurous lifestyles like kite-surfing.

The concept has no B-pillar to interrupt the modernistic body work and the rear two-thirds of the glass roof can be taken off in two parts and stored in a slide-out compartment in the rear bumper. It apparently also has the strong look of a Samurai sword when seen from the side.

The Hakaze features large, pop-up doors which are one-touch and keyless, as well as an LCD screen in the centre of the steering column with navigation information, images from the car's rear view and side cameras and warning indicators – all of which give an enhanced feeling of control to the driver. The centre of the steering wheel is fixed, only the rim and the lower arm can rotate. Another innovative feature is the wireless charging pad located in the glove box (also using Bluetooth) to recharge the batteries of a mobile phone, PDA, camera or MP3 player.

Mazda Hakaze Concept

The latest from Mazda’s Design Department – The Hakaze Concept. It flows with the rest of the Mazda Concepts – but can this “compact-coupe” hold its own with Taiki and Furai? Unveilings at last year’s Geneva Auto Show and 2008’s Melbourne International Motor Show may give MazdaPedia and everyone reading at home a hint.

You can almost hear Huey Lewis proclaim “Gotta get back in time…” as the gull-wing-type doors lift up like a mighty bird of prey taking flight. This elegant creature is no flying machine but the new addition to Mazda’s Nagare Design family. Hakaze is a “compact crossover coupe” complete with removable roof, high seating and a space age cabin that glows as if it’s breathing.

Mazda already has a few curvy cars on the market (the RX-8 most notably); it will be interesting to see if any of the Flow concepts make it into production…and how the final products will look. With all its glass and detachable pieces the Hakaze offers, one can bet a functional version will morph drastically from this conceptual stage. It is awesomely high-tech with electronic-only automatic doors (yes, sans-handle) and side/rear-view cameras replacing mirrors – probably not very practical for the average consumer. If nothing else, make sure to keep spare batteries for your keychain door opener. No word yet on having to store extra plutonium cells in your garage.

Looks are one thing, performance and the bottom line (i.e.: cost) are another. The DeLorean was both praised and criticized for sleek design and eclectic materials, but we all know what happened to the DMC. Not that we feel Mazda President and CEO Hisakazu Imaki will be caught with a briefcase full of illegal powder.

But the Hakaze Concept stands no bigger than a current favorite, the Mazda3 – which runs an MSRP between $13,895 to $19,895. Affordable, futuristic, eye-catching…looks like Mazda’s Hakaze should fit in nicely with their currently obsessed over design flow.

If only it came with a Hoverboard

Mazda Hakaze Concept CUV

2010 Mazdaspeed3: turbocharged fury unleashed on America

The Mazdaspeed3 is well-liked by nearly every automotive journalist that has driven it. It’s easy to drive, fun, sporty, utilitarian, and looks good too. Oh yeah, and it’ll blow the doors off just about anything else at the race track. And now the 2010 Mazdaspeed3 will do it looking better than ever!

Mazda unveiled a European spec Mazdaspeed3 at the Geneva Auto Show a month ago and chose the New York Auto Show to reveal the latest US incarnation of this spectacular machine. The skin is completely updated but the powerful engine has remained the same.

Here are a few quick highlights from the press release:

• MZR 2.3‐liter DISI Turbo engine
• Engine: 263 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 280 lb.‐ft of torque at 3,000 rpm
• Revised gearbox: 2nd through 5th gear are slightly taller
• Torque‐sensing conical limited‐slip differential (LSD) standard
• Wheels: Aluminum 18″ x 7.5″

2010 Mazdaspeed3

2010 Mazdaspeed3 hood scoop and front spoiler

Mazda Hakaze - Kite surfing concept car..

Mazda catering to the kite surfing crowd….

Mazda Kazamai Concept

At the Moscow International Automobile Salon (MIAS) Mazda will unveil the newest concept a sporty, compact crossover concept vehicle called Mazda Kazamai. Kazamai is “swirling crosswinds” in Japanese and stands for a stylish and compact compact crossover. The Kazamai is based on the technology development Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, which aims to provide a unique balance between sporty driving fun, and superior environmental and safety performance.

Mazda Kazamai Concept

Mazda is up to something and we hope they are up to something good. We sniffed something was going to come our way a while ago when we got some sketches from the car makers but now Mazda spills the beans and shows us some real stuff. Their new concept car dubbed “Kazamai” which means “swirling crosswinds” in Japanese.

Mazda Kazamai Concept

It’s a crossover, a sporty SUV. At first glance we see a five-point grille, 22 inch wheels and aerodynamic profile. Very sexy I must add.

Mazda worked a little bit under the hood, too, with next-gen direct injection engine and a newly-developed transmission which passes power to all wheels via its four-wheel drive system. The driving dynamics have been developed to create a fun-to-drive vehicle and Mazda states that if the model makes it to production form, we can expect frugal fuel consumption and greatly reduced CO2 emissions. How else?

Mazda Kazamai Concept

The Kazamai shall be released by August 26 so maybe that’s when know more about pricing. I have a feeling that we won’t be able to buy it from our paychecks. What do you think?

Mazda Kazamai Concept

Mazda Kazamai, one of our favorite Nagare-themed concepts, was officially revaled at the 2008 Moscow International Auto Show (MIAS) and giving us a foretaste of what its forthcoming CX-5 compact cross may look like. Featuring an evolved Nagare ‘gush’ figure theme, the 3door concept crossover’s styling is more realistic compared to previous Mazda concepts like the Taiki and Ryuga. There are no pictures of the Kazamai’s interior but Mazda says it that it can seat four passengers in comfort.

With a chunk of 4,520mm and a width of 1,930mm, the Kazamai Concept is vaguely bigger than the stream Mazda3. The Japanese automaker claims thought that merit to the total use of lightweight equipment and new processing/union technologies, the Kazamai is 100kg or 220-lbs lighter than related models. This contributes to better handling and improved fuel reduced and CO2 emissions.

Read more (+photo)!!

Power comes from a next-generation 2.0-litre blunt-injection gasoline engine with combustion running technology and patchy valve restraint, which Mazda engineers are developing. The 2.0-liter DISI petrol engine is coupled to a lightweight, next-generation compact 6-hustle natural transmission and a four-veer instinct approach.

According to the Japanese automaker, in combination with the Kazamai’s aerodynamics and its lightweight body, the powertrain would supply an estimated 30 percent improvement in fuel consumption and emissions versus the stream MZR 2.0-litre petrol engine.

2009 MAZDA5

Mazda5 is a multi-activity vehicle with sportscar inspiration demonstrating Mazda’s infusion of stylish, insightful and spirited vehicles.

Mazda Furai Concept Car

Mazda is set to reveal its Furai Concept at the Detroit Auto Show starting today. Furai has a three-rotor rotary racing engine which can run on multiple fuels including ethanol, E10. Looks like Mazda is putting a lot of research in use of alternative renewable fuels, which is a good thing with the gas prices sky-rocketing around the world.

In any case, Furai's rotary engine pumps out terrific volume that you would love to listen over and over again. Check out the Furai in action after the jump with high res pictures and official Press Release.

Mazda 3 Sedan 2010

Every element of the all-new Mazda3 Sedan has been developed for heightened exhilaration, with a more refined sporty ride, top class fuel economy and quietness.