Most designers have gotten inspiration for their work from nature. Some works are inspired by animals while some are inspired by endless greenery. Some even get inspiration just by watching the rising and setting of the sun. The designers of Mazda are no exception to this. The only difference is that they were inspired to base their design on something that could not be appreciated by the naked eye: air. Their aim when coming up with a design for the Mazda Taiki sports car was to capture the motion of flowing air. And based on the outcome of the design, it seems they were successful in doing just that.

At a glance, the first thing that the designers did in order to capture the effect of air is to create lines that give of the illusion of flowing air. They were able to do that by imprinting swooping lines in the car’s front grille. The designers were also able to incorporate the same design in the vehicle’s wheels. In order to ensure that the car not only looks like its flowing on air, but runs like it, they’ve installed their next generation rotary engine called the Renesis 2. The engine features a two-rotor design that has an increased displacement from 1.3 liters to 1.6 liters giving the car more stroke and torque. Combined with direct injection, the Taiki is also able to save up on fuel consumption. In addition, the people at Mazda installed a double wishbone suspension and a dry twin clutch 7-speed power shift to enhance the driving experience.

Aside from establishing the flowing design of air for its car’s exterior, Mazda’s designers also made sure that the car’s interiors provided a relaxing and spacious atmosphere by keeping the capacity of the car set to fit two people only. The driver seat comes with a seatback and headrest while the passenger seat is patterned after a lounge chair which will enable the passenger to stretch their legs during the trip.

This design concept is something that Mazda is hoping to apply to the overall design of their sports cars in the near future.

Sources: myride.com, autoblog.com, worldcarfans.com

The automobile craftsmanship of Japanese is evident in the variety of concept cars currently displayed at the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show. The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is among the numerous latest finds in the event, which officially opened last October 24 at Chiba City’s Makuhari Messe.

Among the high-end Mazda parts the Premacy has, the hydrogen rotary engine stands out. Almost similar to a hybrid vehicle, this four-wheel machine from Mazda is powered by two sources. Instead of just running on gasoline, a special kind of water is also utilized for this vehicle to work. With these two sources working together, the production of that much needed horsepower is achieved efficiently. The electricity produced from the hydrogen combustion is the one used to make the motor parts of the engine work.

According to Mazda, the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is more efficient in terms of speeding up as well as burning the mixture inside the engine compared with the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen. Aside from all those inner workings of the vehicle, the Premacy is more spacious and is capable of having as much as five people plus some cargos.

The Tokyo Motor Show, which is now on its 40th year, is not just a display of various concept vehicles as it also allow guests to have the first-hand driving experience with some selected cars, like the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE. The event will be open until the 11th of November.

Futuristic Mazda concept car designs are not the only things to watch out for in the Japanese automaker’s latest finds for this year’s Tokyo Auto Show as precision-engineered Mazda Parts, specifically the engines, are set to grace the said event.

Aimed to improve the production of cleaner vehicle power are the upgraded four-valve direct-injection gasoline-powered engine, a ‘clean diesel’ engine, and an improved Renesis rotary engine.

The 2-liter gasoline engine’s goal is to keep the high horsepower production as well as maximize the fuel consumption. With this type of engine, a safer emission can also be expected. On the other hand, the new Renesis rotary engine is set to back up the Hydrogen engine studies of Mazda.

Aside from the top-of-the-line engines, Mazda pioneered the Smart Idle Stop System in its concept cars. An engine that has not been used for a while will be restarted without using the electric motor. In this way, the Smart Idle technology brings in fuel straight into the engine cylinders and revs up the power plant more efficiently. Fuel economy improves to as much as 10 percent with this new Mazda technology.

These are just some of the latest and useful finds of Mazda for its vehicles.

It seems that everyone is looking forward on what Mazda has in store at the Tokyo Motor Show that will happen later this month. It is said that Mazda will showcase two of their most awaited cars at the Tokyo Motor Show. These cars are powered by rotary engines. The Taiki sports car and the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid features a transversely mounted hydrogen rotary engine and is especially designed to run on hydrogen and petrol. Many people believe that these cars will pave the way to more environment friendly vehicles. And with the erratic price of fuel, having vehicles that is not that dependent on fuel is really something.

The Taiki is the fourth in the Nagare design theme. It is geared with the next generation Renesis rotary 16X engine. The main catch about the Taiki is its unique design. Many awaits it for it is Mazda’s attempt to capture the flow of air. The design itself serves as Mazda’s take on how air flows and it is inspired by the folds of the robes in ancient times. As for the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid, it is run by a hybrid powertrain that has the capacity to convert energy from hydrogen combustion. By the name of the vehicle itself, we already know its main feature. It makes use of hydrogen in order to have the horsepower it needs. Through hydrogen combustion that is converted to electricity, the Premacy is able to provide power to the motor.

Aside from the Taiki and the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid, the Tokyo Motor Show will also feature the Mazda 6 with large front and rear aero bumpers, a grille as well as side spoilers that give it a rather sporty look.