Mazda: The look of the future

Like many great science-fiction writers, Arthur C. Clarke, famous for his work on 2001: A Space Odyssey, created a series of laws with which to understand the future. His third law is the best known: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." In the automotive world, we're approaching a time of magic, and that might be a problem for Mazda.

At this year's Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda unveiled two concepts that preview the designs with which it will drape its new powertrains. The RX-Vision sedan and the Kai hatchback combo feature sharply carved lines, jutting front grilles, and polished, uncluttered flanks. They are, like many concepts, both breathtaking and seemingly impossible. Those huge wheels and tiny fender gaps, for instance, aren't likely to show up in a production car any time soon.

However, Clarke would remind us that, "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible." Further, Mazda's two concepts manage to pull off something rarely seen these days. The product of two years of design development work, they embrace a less-is-more ethos that is, simply put, beautiful. By comparison, the floating roof and fender vents of the current Aston Martin DB11 are a bit fussy.

And yes, here we are making a comparison between a Mazda and an Aston Martin. What a world. However, if plucky little Mazda is to survive, it'll be designs like these that will keep it from simply being swallowed up by one of the larger manufacturers.

Mazda's big mechanical breakthrough of late is its compression-ignition engine, dubbed SkyActiv-X. Partway between the sparkless combustion cycle of a diesel and that of a conventional direct-injection gasoline engine, Mazda's leap forward promises as much as a 20 per cent improvement in efficiency and a concurrent reduction in emissions.

Yet just try explaining shaped pistons, flame-front propagation, and stoichiometric mixtures to the average consumer. Just like with laptops, televisions, and smartphones, most people no longer care how cars work, only that they do. The more complicated they get, the more people are likely to turn to a recognized brand like Honda, Toyota, or perhaps even Tesla.

The manufacturer of the MX-5 has always focused on driving pleasure as an attribute, touting responsiveness and driver-focused engineering as attributes. However, as evidenced by the way excellent cars like the Mazda6 get steamroller by the likes of the Accord and Camry, that might not be enough.

At a roundtable discussion, Mazda senior managing director Kiyoshi Fujiwara admitted that communicating the company's brand values to average customers was a challenge. Touting "effortless driving" as a new way to frame Mazda driving dynamics, Fujiwara was hopeful about a semi-autonomous future where a car would still favour the driver but have better safety nets in place.

But Fujiwara was also blunt in his assessment that the internal combustion engine is reaching its last days. There may be some improvements to be made in efficiency by reducing friction loss, he said, but electrification will gradually become the norm.

Fujiwara also touched on the rotary engine, indicating that an EV with a rotary-powered range-extender was under development for production in 2019 or 2020. A proper rear-wheel-drive rotary sports car is still a possibility, but a more nebulous one.

You may be wondering why Mazda can't seem to let go of the rotary engine. Wonderful on a racetrack, but low on torque and emissions-heavy, the rotary is a unique, quirky engine that only Mazda seems to want to champion.

The reason why is simple. In the 1960s, Japan's government wanted a consolidation of its car industry to improve its competitiveness. Many smaller companies disappeared into the maw of larger corporations; Hino, for instance, with its lovely little Contessa and Briska, became part of Toyota.

Mazda's breakthrough on the rotary engine gave it independence and identity. With the Cosmo coupe celebrating its 50th birthday this year, Mazda has always relied on having some kind of forward-looking engineering edge.

For the short term, its compression-ignition system might do the trick, but it's hard to explain. Worse, as electrification becomes more common, Mazda will find it harder to stand out from the big manufacturers. With electric vehicles, it's less about conventional engineering breakthroughs and more about battery suppliers.

However, Mazda does have one big unexpected advantage going forward, one that became more apparent as you walked around the Tokyo show floor. Over at Lexus, huge-grilled aggression was key. At Honda, a quirky cuteness was the look of the future. Nissan touted a knife-edged fractal look.

Yet Mazda's cars are simply beautiful. If the next-generation Mazda3 resembles the Kai, as seems likely, it'll be a far more pleasing car that the over-styled Honda Civic or the gap-mouthed Corolla. If the sleek looks of the Vision-X can be translated into a mid-sized crossover, it should have the same success as the CX-9 and CX-3.

In short, even as what's going on under the hood becomes as incomprehensible as the coding in everyday electronics, we still buy cars based on emotion. The future of Mazda's design language needs no translation. It may have taken years to perfect, but you can look at it and instantly understand what the designers were aiming to do. Luxury manufacturers like Acura must be kicking themselves that they can't pull off something so cohesive.

We understand our cars less as the years go on. Gone are the days of changing your own oil and adjusting your own carburetor. We won't miss the dirty fingernails, but there was a connection there when we had to pop the hood from time to time.

The look of future Mazdas might just be enough to maintain that connection. If a car is pretty enough to have you look over your shoulder after parking it, then perhaps it doesn't matter how advanced the technology is. Maybe the magic can still be there.

The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.

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