Mazda has announced that they will be
abandoning their Nagare design theme and moving on to
what they call Koda meaning "Soul of Motion". The Nagare design has had its ups
and downs. It looked fantastic on some models like the
Mazda 6 but missed the mark on others like the Mazda 3.
When you combine the Nagare style with Mazda's new
smiley face corporate look, it just went all wrong. I
was never a huge fan of current Mazda styling as they
always seemed to be trying too hard. There were too many
needless design cues thrown on to an otherwise normal
body. It was a mishmash of different styles on opposite
ends of the car like the RX-8 for instance. But now,
Mazda has blown my mind by introducing the Shinari
Concept.
The Shinari Concept is the first indication of where
Mazda styling will be headed in the future and it looks
absolutely brilliant. It's sleek, it's sporty, it's
sexy, it's everything modern cars should be. They
haven't fumbled the design by trying to make it
excessively dramatic but still managed to make it look
dynamic and eye-catching. If this is any sign of how the
next Mazda 6 will look, I'll have to place my order
soon.
The current Mazda 6 is one of the highlights among
Mazda's lineup. It's stylish without trying too hard and
has one of the best designed rear fascias among its
competitors. The only quibble I have with it is that
it's not particularly exciting. Mazda's own slogan of
'Zoom-Zoom' makes you think that every car they make
will look fast and sporty. You don't think those things
when you look at the Mazda 6. You think it's attractive,
elegant even, but not sporty. The Shinari Concept
changes that. It's low slung with a coupe-like design, thin windows, and a flowing body that is reminiscent
of the Fisker Karma. It even looks good with
Mazda's silly five-point grille (which evidently
becomes seven on the Shinari). The headlights are
sinister and the sculptured body panels evoke passion
and excitement.
When you combine the Shinari's looks with Mazda's new
economic Sky-G engines, it could be an instant hit.
Add some turbochargers, a typical, quality Mazda
interior, Japanese reliability and boom, you got the
best car in its segment. Sales numbers have proven that people don't want another boring transportation
appliance like a Toyota
Camry and want something stylish like Hyundai's revamped
Sonata. So I implore you Mazda, don't dumb down the Shinari's
looks and don't make it too soft. Just leave it the way
it is and give buyers exactly what they are looking for,
a 'Zoom-Zoom' family car. |
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