When Mazda designers were looking for a word that would define their philosophy when designing a car, they found that none of them did it perfectly.
It was about finding a term that encompassed the three concepts with which the team worked on each of its cars: “rin” – “refined presence” – “dou” – “elegant movement” – and “en” which refers to the sensuality of a living creature. In the end the word chosen was “Kodo” which is reminiscent of the Japanese poetic expression of the heartbeat.
Ikuo Maeda – the man behind the lines of each Mazda – feels like a “Takumi”, a craftsman and as such he claims the mystique of manual work as a differentiating factor that allows us to achieve something authentic and pure.
Mazda is one of the very few brands that still uses completely manual modeling in clay in the first design phase of each new model and also polishes each of its parts with a sanding stone developed after having discarded 12,000 other different ones.
Maeda headed the Japanese brand’s design department a decade ago and revolutionized the industry with that avant-garde and award-winning Mazda Shinari presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
“In Japan we like to think that artisans infuse life into what they create,” explains the designer. “We think that every form born of sincere and meticulous human effort receives a soul. As “Takumi” I try to give soul, essence and movement to each car,” says Maeda.
In this way, the concept “Soul of Movement” takes on a double meaning, as it expresses both the essence of movement and the soul that Mazda’s master craftsmen imbue into the car.
For the Japanese, a car is a metallic being that gives off energy and movement and the job of its designers is to ensure that this movement is harmonious and elegant.
Inspiration is always nature and its forms and the human being is the center. From the agility of the cheetah to the contained tension of the bow a second before launching the arrow… everything serves to recreate the defined and organic lines of the Japanese manufacturer’s range.
Mazda’s manufacturing process also responds to awareness of sustainability, both throughout the life cycle of its products and in the implementation of a wide range of electrified technological solutions and the development of carbon-neutral fuels to speed up production. transition towards green mobility solutions.
This philosophy has led Mazda to the third edition of the “Madrid Design Festival” where it promotes craftsmanship, design and sustainability through the exhibition that is being held in “El greenhouse”.
Mazda’s proposal at the Madrid event, led by SACo and The Sibarist, is risky and different since it aims to explain the artisanal values ??and the “Kodo” spirit behind the design of the new Mazda CX-60 that has been presented at world first.
At a time when the alliance between craftsmanship and design becomes more relevant than ever, the human touch adds invaluable value to the way society values ??its objects. Craftsmanship brings humanity, emotion and diversity to their works. Therefore, it is essential to preserve artisanal quality as a cultural expression that connects us with our history.
Contemporary design from the automotive world combined with traditional artisanal processes contributes to reinventing and revitalizing Mazdas, giving them identity, sustainability and differentiation. All these disciplines and concepts coming together in the new Mazda CX-60.
