The new Mazda MX-5 RF has won the “Red Dot: Best of the Best” prize at the 2017 Red Dot product design awards thanks to a perfect harmony of functional quality, seductiveness, usability and more.
The unique 2-seater retractable fastback features a one-of-a-kind power retractable hardtop that not only looks sharp, but is also lightweight and efficient, opening or closing in a remarkable display of origami in only 13 seconds. Adding coupe practicality to the MX-5’s matchless open-top driving fun, the RF deepens the overall experience while remaining true to tradition of Jinba Ittai, or “rider and horse as one body”, that has made the MX-5 a legend.
“We’ve taken the MX-5 down an exciting new road with the RF. Whenever I see this car, I am reminded of an unprecedented team effort, not only between our designers but also for example with our engineers and production specialists,” said Ikuo Maeda, Mazda’s global head of design. “Every single one of them deserves some of the credit for this achievement.”
Initiated in Germany back in 1955, Red Dot is one of the world’s largest product competitions, with the “red dot” symbol being recognized as an international seal of excellence. This year, the jury of 39 designers, professors and journalists used criteria such as innovation, functionality, ergonomics, symbolic and emotional content, self-explanatory quality, and ecological compatibility.
Other KODO-styled, Red Dot-winning models include the Mazda6 in 2013, the Mazda3 in 2014, plus the Mazda CX-3, Mazda2, and soft-top Mazda MX-5 in 2015.