The Mazda Hakaze (Japanese for 'leaf being blown in the wind'), following on the heels of the Nagare and Ryuga has already been called the closest to production reality. In truth the Hakaze is based on a shortened CX-7 chassis, and uses the same 260hp 2.3L turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder. This is paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox, and part-time all wheel drive system.[source : CAR magazine]
"‘I can see the Hakaze slotting in towards our current four-year production cycle,’ says James Muir, Mazda’s European boss. ‘So if I have anything to do with it, it will be arriving by 2010.’
Muir has plenty to do with the Hakaze – the concept car is his pet project and with his considerable clout behind it, looks likely to push ahead of the three-seater Kabura concept car in the race for production. It’ll be a world car, too, tapping into Mazda’s predicted growth in Japan, Europe and America for compact crossovers. Which means a lot of sales.
With that thrusting five-point grille, LED lighting, camera wing mirrors, ‘sail-doors’ (that’s scissor doors to you and me), pillarless profile and full-length glass roof, it certainly looks pretty cutting edge. There are 1000 LEDs that take care of all the car’s exterior and interior lighting needs, and that one-piece rear windscreen, complete with tendrils that channel the brake and indicator lights, took three weeks of continuous machining to carve out of a single piece of perspex.
Muir is pushing very hard to make sure these key elements make it through to production. ‘I want the scissor doors, the four-seater layout, the side cameras and the glass roof to make it through to production,’ he claims. ‘Otherwise what’s the point of doing these concept cars?’"
This is a 3D computer rendering of what the interior looks like.
[read] the full article
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