The Mazda Vision Coupe has won “Concept Car of the Year” at the 11th annual Car Design Night Geneva. The event was held during the Geneva Motor Show.
The panel of 18 judges included several design directors at global automakers. It’s another honour for Mazda’s stunning concept. Last month it became “Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year”. That happened in Paris at the 2018 Festival Automobile International.
“It’s truly an honour to have this model, which aims to express the essence of Japanese aesthetics, applauded by some of the world’s top car designers,” said Ikuo Maeda, Mazda’s managing executive officer in charge of design and brand style. “The essence of this design concept will be evident in the next generation of Mazda cars, the first of which is due to [appear] in 2019.”
The Mazda Vision Coupe has won “Concept Car of the Year” at the 11th annual Car Design Night Geneva
The Vision Coupe’s reveal happened in Tokyo in 2017. The concept represents the next phase for Mazda’s KODO – Soul of Motion designs, whose expression of vitality and dynamism evolved in pursuit of an essential Japanese aesthetic. The concept’s flowing and deceptively simple “one motion” form speak of elegance and quality.
Car Design Night Geneva is an annual event, coinciding with the Geneva Motor Show. Its host is Car Design News, an online and print publication targeting the international automotive design community.
Highlights of the Vision Coupe include a KODO – Soul of Motion exterior. It embodies a minimalist Japanese aesthetic, achieving a simple “one-motion” form that conveys a sense of speed. The interior applies the concept of ma (literally “space”) from traditional Japanese architecture. It combines three-dimensional depth with a strong longitudinal axis. Thus the concept produces a relaxed space while maintaining the feeling of motion. The concept’s name pays homage to Mazda’s tradition of design elegance. Its representatives are coupé models like the Mazda R360, Mazda’s first passenger car and the Mazda Luce Rotary, also known as the Mazda R130.
Excited to share that our #Mazda #VisionCoupe won “Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year” at the Festival Automobile International! @Festivalauto #FAI2018 pic.twitter.com/MHG1LpnrTa
— Mazda UK (@Mazda_UK) January 31, 2018
Mazda describes KODO with three words: speed, tense and alluring
The inspiration for the design philosophy comes from two visuals. These are a powerful animal waiting to jump or a ready to strike sword in Kendo. The brand’s designers aim to show the cars’ soul while maintaining its character. The KODO philosophy means “Breathing life into the car” because a car is not simply a mass of metal.
“We want a car to be more than metal. Something that exudes the vitality of a living being. Cars which evoke the tension that presages movement, imbued with the warmth of a creature with a beating heart and blood in its veins.”
The KODO debut was at the Paris Motor Show in 2010 when it appeared in the Shinari concept while the first production model with the new design was CX-5 from the same year.
