Soulful: Mazda Shinari Concept Features New 'Kodo' Design Theme
No frills, just the latest news from hundreds of the best sources.
Soulful: Mazda Shinari Concept Features New 'Kodo' Design Theme
Mazda made it clear recently that it was moving away from its Nagare design philosophy. To prove it, the Japanese automaker has just unveiled a look its future design language -- dubbed Kodo -- on a new four-door sedan concept called Shinari. During the Shinari's reveal, Mazda executives also dished out more details on the company's future product developments and powertrain enhancements.
The Shinari concept is a sporty, four-door with a coupe-like profile created through a collaborative effort by Mazda's U.S., German, and Japanese design studios. Unveiled a press event near Milan, Italy, the Shinari will make its first public appearance at the rapidly approaching 2010 Paris motor show in late September.
In Japanese, kodo means "soul of motion" (thankfully not "thrusting motion") an apt description of the Shinari's sleek lines, absent the flowing strakes of the Nagare theme. While Mazda executives were mum as to when the Kodo styling language will make its production debut, they indicated that the design will influence future production Mazdas. The Japanese automaker also released more details of its new multi-purpose platform, as well its fuel efficient Sky diesel and gas engines and a new six-speed automatic transmission.
The new Mazda platform is an extremely simple design made from steel box sections that fit together to create a spaceframe. It's reportedly adaptable enough to underpin everything from the Mazda3 to the CX-7 and engineers are working to fit it under the Mazda2. It's lighter and stiffer than the current Mazda6 platform, which could lend itself to being rather sporty.
Powering the vehicles based on the new platform will be a set of Sky engines, the first iterations of which Mazda showed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. Mazda is still closely guarding the details of the engines, a diesel (Sky-D) and gasoline (Sky-G) that are rumored to feature unusual engineering solutions.
The Sky-G engine, a normally aspirated 2.0-liter I-4, will reportedly beat Mazda's current gasoline I-4 engines in both fuel economy and torque by at least 15 percent. There are a few more details on the diesel Sky-D engine, a 2.2-liter, turbocharged I-4. It features optimized fuel injection, a two-stage turbocharging system, and a revised combustion chamber to deliver a 20-percent improvement in fuel economy over Mazda's current diesel I-4. Better yet, both engines meet 2020 global emissions regulations, and the diesel does so without using exhaust after-treatments. Both engines will be available with the new "Sky-Drive" six-speed automatic, optimized by reducing internal friction, modifying the torque converter, and changing the programming for when it locks up.
In addition to introducing a new design theme, platform, and powertrains, Mazda says it will introduce better interiors in its future products.
"We want to play in the same group as BMW and Audi," Derek Jenkins, director of design for Mazda North America, told Automotive News. "On fit-and-finish we want the same level of quality."
Source: Automotive News (Subscription required), Autocar