Have you ever marvelled at a car freshly arrived on the market only to find it uninspiring and a bit dated a couple of months or years later? You're not alone. Fortunately, automakers like Mazda are striving to create modern designs with timeless appeal.
When chief designer Laurens van den Acker left the company for Renault in 2009, one of Mazda's own stylists, Ikuo Maeda, took over. You've probably heard or seen that last name before – his father is the one who penned the magnificent Mazda RX-7, a pioneering sports car that still turns a lot of heads wherever it goes.
Inspired by his dad, Maeda once gave birth to the beautiful RX-8 (not as successful in the art of ageing well). Now, he's passionately working on the all-new CX-5 compact crossover, the first vehicle to incorporate the brand's 'KODO – Soul of Motion' design language
Designed from a virtually clean sheet of paper, the model will likely filter through the lineup in the coming years, applying not only to other crossovers like the CX-7 and CX-9 but most Mazda cars as well.
The pressure is heavy and the bar is high. After all, Mazda has been selling us the wonderful attributes of KODO since last year, yet consumers are still waiting to see the results in real life. Meanwhile, companies like Hyundai have successfully completed major portfolio overhauls, challenging the rest of the industry to keep up.
Will Maeda live up to his father's work? Will he find the perfect balance and elevate Mazda to the highest peaks? The simultaneous introduction of KODO and SKYACTIV technologies may prove to be the winning combination. Be prepared to judge for yourself at this fall's Frankfurt Auto Show, where the production CX-5 is scheduled to make its world debut.
Source : Automotive News
When chief designer Laurens van den Acker left the company for Renault in 2009, one of Mazda's own stylists, Ikuo Maeda, took over. You've probably heard or seen that last name before – his father is the one who penned the magnificent Mazda RX-7, a pioneering sports car that still turns a lot of heads wherever it goes.
Inspired by his dad, Maeda once gave birth to the beautiful RX-8 (not as successful in the art of ageing well). Now, he's passionately working on the all-new CX-5 compact crossover, the first vehicle to incorporate the brand's 'KODO – Soul of Motion' design language
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| Photo: Mazda |
Designed from a virtually clean sheet of paper, the model will likely filter through the lineup in the coming years, applying not only to other crossovers like the CX-7 and CX-9 but most Mazda cars as well.
The pressure is heavy and the bar is high. After all, Mazda has been selling us the wonderful attributes of KODO since last year, yet consumers are still waiting to see the results in real life. Meanwhile, companies like Hyundai have successfully completed major portfolio overhauls, challenging the rest of the industry to keep up.
Will Maeda live up to his father's work? Will he find the perfect balance and elevate Mazda to the highest peaks? The simultaneous introduction of KODO and SKYACTIV technologies may prove to be the winning combination. Be prepared to judge for yourself at this fall's Frankfurt Auto Show, where the production CX-5 is scheduled to make its world debut.
Source : Automotive News