With the Tokyo Motor Show kicking off in Japan, the latest concept cars are rolling out from all of the country's automakers. Not surprisingly, this year has been heavy on EVs and autonomous transportation—but one company who is bucking the trend at the show is Mazda, who showed off two beautiful concept cars that preview the brand's future direction and design language.
Mazda Kai Concept
First up is a hatchback called the Kai Concept, previewing the direction of the next generation Mazda3/Mazda Axela. Mazda's current Kodo design language has already made for some of the most attractive cars in their respective segments. The Kai Concept takes that same idea even further with a wide, muscular stance and wheels pushed out to the corners.
The Kai Concept is powered by a variant of Mazda's advanced Skyactiv-X engine, where spark plug ignition controls compression ignition for improved performance and fuel economy. Unlike some of the other Tokyo concepts which preview far-off vehicle ideas, the Kai Concept looks close to production-ready—and with the current Mazda3 having been around since 2013 a road-going version of this shouldn't be far off.
Mazda Vision Coupe Concept
Joining the hatchback in Mazda's display is another concept, this one a sleek four-door variant called the Vision Coupe. It hints at an entirely new direction for a company that's always done things its own way.
The styling of the Vision Concept goes away from the busy look that many Japanese cars have these days and instead features a mix of European elegance and Japanese simplicity while still being focused on the connection between car and driver.
While it's possible some of the Vision Coupe's design elements could carry over to the next generation Mazda6, its long hood profile suggests a front engine, rear-drive layout. Mazda didn't say anything about the car's powertrain, but a rear-drive flagship like this would be a perfect car to help Mazda build the perception of a premium brand.
Whatever the case, we are very much looking forward to seeing if this materializes into a production model. Mazda deserves applause for doing things its own way and continuing its mission of building cars for people who love cars.