DETROIT -- The essence of Mazda’s
Zoom-Zoom spirit is
providing customers with stylish, insightful, spirited products
capable of enriching their lives in exciting ways. At this
year’s North American International Auto Show, Mazda is
presenting Kabura, a design concept that ventures beyond the
compact sports coupe norm to explore several fresh ideas that
could appear in future production models.
- To deliver the true “Soul of a Sportscar” that is the
essence of every Mazda, Kabura incorporates the front-engine,
rear-drive layout universally admired by driving enthusiasts
and long delivered by Mazda’s MX-5 and rotary-engined
sportscars.
- To support youthful lifestyles, Kabura stretches the bounds
of interior versatility in radical directions. Replacing the
typical 2+2 layout is a clever 3+1 arrangement which
establishes a new interior concept giving greater passenger
comfort versus a traditional coupe without increasing weight
or size. Obliging spur-of-the-moment adventures and shopping
sprees, all passenger seats fold flat to make way for snow
boards, shopping bags and all the tools of an active life .
- While Kabura has the presence of an exotic sports car, it
has the practicality and affordability that youth can yearn
for and afford.
KABURA: The First Arrow Launched Into Battle
“Kabura” is a Japanese term taken from “KABURA-ya”,
an arrow that makes a howling sound when fired and was
historically used to signal the start of a battle. The “first
arrow into battle” depicts Mazda’s spirit of pursuing unique
and exciting ventures - such as the rotary engine.
Kabura is not only the first Mazda compact coupe for the 21 st
century, it’s also the first project guided by Mazda North
American Operations’ (MNAO) Director of Design Franz von
Holzhausen, who joined Mazda in February 2005. The 37-year-old von
Holzhausen studied industrial design at Syracuse University and
graduated from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in
Pasadena , Calif.
REINVIGORATING THE AFFORDABLE COUPE
“With Kabura, we set out to use innovative design to rekindle
the passion for driving,” notes von Holzhausen. “Our intention
is to rouse the segment with some intravenous creativity. While we
have no plans at the moment to build a production version of
Kabura, it is not a complete flight of fancy. It embodies several
innovations Mazda could implement when a compact sports
coupe, steeped in Zoom-Zoom, is ready for production.”
According to a recent survey performed by a major research
organization, Mazda’s new-car customers are the second youngest
in North America , at only 41 years of age .
Generation-Y buyers are several steps ahead of the latest
trends and constantly on the lookout for affordable possessions
that satisfy their hunger for stylish, insightful and spirited
designs. One of Kabura’s roles is exposing a likely future
design direction to today’s demanding customers.
Power is supplied to Kabura’s rear wheels by a 2.0-liter
version of Mazda’s highly respected MZR DOHC 16-valve engine and
through to 245/35R19 Bridgestone Potenza front tires and 245/35R20
tires at the rear. While this concept has been constructed over
several MX-5 chassis components, basic dimensions fall between
Mazda’s MX-5 and RX-8 sportscars.
Were the Kabura design study to achieve production status, it
would likely be a stand-alone product rather than an extension of
any existing model line.
SPIRITED EXTERIOR
Von Holzhausen describes Kabura’s exterior as “a
nimble-looking fuselage with a powerful stance, pronounced wheel
arches and taut surfaces.” He adds , “Every line flows into
another with no open ends. Surfaces are drawn tight over the wheel
arches, the way a spider’s web stretches between anchor
points.”
While Kabura’s profile is reminiscent of classic coupes, the
windshield and forward portion of the roof are integrated into one
seamless glass surface that extends from the cowl to the B-pillar.
Admitting extra light enhances the interior’s feeling of airy
space. Overhead portions of the glass have adjustable tinting so
that the driver can twist a knob on bright days to change the
roof’s opacity, as desired, from clear to completely opaque.
Behind its B-pillar, Kabura has a two-piece glass hatch. The
uppermost glass panel normally lies flush. When pivoted-up by an
electric motor, the way ailerons rise out of an airplane wing,
this panel serves three purposes: it acts as a roof spoiler, it
vents air from the interior and it greatly augments the rear
passengers’ headroom. In addition, a photovoltaic solar cell in
the panel helps to control ambient temperature as well as recharge
the battery. The larger glass hatch panel has side-mounted hinges
to provide ready access to Kabura’s spacious cargo compartment.
CREATIVE INTERIOR COMPOSITION
“While examining the habits and tastes of our youthful
customers, we found that the majority have a need to carry one or
at most two passengers in comfort, while a very small percentage
actually use the fourth seat on limited occasions,” von
Holzhausen continues, noting the level of research and planning
that goes into the creation of a major automaker’s concept
vehicle. “Clearly, the standard 2+2 compact coupe configuration
with restricted rear access and limited seating space doesn’t
work in this context, so we created a 3+1 layout for Kabura that
resolves those shortcomings”.
A standard left-side door provides access to the driver’s
cockpit and the rear jump seat. The right side is a wholly
different and purposely asymmetrical arrangement. Removing the
glovebox and minimizing the instrument panel allowed designers to
shift the front passenger six-inches ahead of the driver’s
seating position. In turn, the second passenger, sitting in tandem
behind the right-front passenger, enjoys approximately the same
leg, shoulder, and headroom.
Developed on the RX-Evolv and RX-01 showcars, Mazda designers
invented the rear-hinged freestyle doors to improve the RX-8’s
rear-seat access. Kabura proves that inspiration can strike twice
in pursuit of spirited, stylish design that provides customers
more than they ever dreamed possible.
To maintain a sleek roofline while offering rear access
that’s vastly superior to what’s available in today’s
compact coupes, von Holzhausen’s team designed Kabura with an
extra right-side door. After the front door is opened, touching a
button slides the bonus door straight back and out of the way.
Instead of swinging on hinges as in the innovative Mazda RX-8,
this additional door glides neatly into a cavity notched into the
rear-quarter panel area the way a pocket door disappears into a
house wall. “Kabura may be the first compact coupe where no
passenger has to call ‘shotgun!’ to avoid the second-class
citizen treatment,” von Holzhausen pointed out.
FORM AND FUNCTION MEET THE FUTURE
Building on Kabura’s innovative styling and interior
packaging, von Holzhausen’s team decided that introducing a
level of sustainability and recyclability was a critical part of
the concept. By partnering with Sustainable Solutions, Inc (SSI),
a leader in reengineering post-industrial waste materials into
quality consumer products, Mazda shows it has an eye toward the
future in everything it does.
Kabura's interior is produced from SSI's innovative regenerated
leather substrate. Itself produced from 100-percent
post-industrial waste - in this case, much of the waste was
material recovered from the manufacturing of Nike brand athletic
shoes - SSI's leather-grind is able to be dyed and printed in any
color or design and appears in Kabura as a technical yet inviting
material.
Mazda North American Operations is responsible for the sales
and marketing, customer parts and service support of Mazda
vehicles in the United States . Headquartered in Irvine , Calif. ,
MNAO has more than 700 dealerships nationwide.
Mazda KABURA Specifications
|
Dimensions
|
Length
|
4 050 mm
|
|
Width
|
1 780 mm
|
|
Height
|
1 280 mm
|
|
Wheelbase
|
2550 mm
|
|
Seating capacity
|
4 person
|
|
Engine
|
Type
|
MZR 2.0 L DOHC 16-Valves
|
|
Transmission
|
Type
|
6MT
|
|
Suspension （ Front/Rear ）
|
type
|
Double Wishbone/Multi-Link
|
|
Tires
|
Size
|
Front : 245/35 R19
Rear: 245/35 R20
Bridgestone Potenza
|
