Click image to enlarge the Mazda Furai concept
Mazda has released a teaser shot of its Furai concept, which will debut next month in Detroit alongside the "heavily revised" 2009 RX-8. Its name translates from Japanese to "sound of the wind," and the car takes the design language introduced on the Nagare and applies it to what is literally a race-bred sports concept. The Furai, you see, is built atop the Courage C65 chassis that Mazda campaigned two years ago in ALMS. Power comes from a 450-horsepower three-rotor engine that runs on E100 Ethanol. As for the '09 RX-8, Mazda's announcement states only that it boasts an updated design, better quality and features, and improved handling and acceleration. The announcement now has us wondering if the spy photos that came out yesterday are actually the car we'll see in Detroit, and not the 2010 as initially believed. Finally, Detroit will mark the first appearance of the Taiki concept outside Japan. The Taiki, you'll recall, was introduced at the recent Tokyo Motor Show. We'll be there in force to cover it all.
[Source: Mazda]
PRESS RELEASE:
Mazda Furai Concept and 2009 RX-8 to Make World Debut at 2008 North American International Auto Show
HIROSHIMA, Japan, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda Motor Corporation will showcase the world premieres of the Mazda Furai concept vehicle and the heavily revised 2009 Mazda RX-8 sports car at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), to be held in Detroit from Sunday, January 13 through Sunday, January 27, 2008. On the heels of its show-stopping debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show in October, the Mazda Taiki concept vehicle also will make its North American debut, the first time it has been shown outside Japan.
Mazda Furai -- 'Sound of the wind'
Inspired by the fact that, on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas and Mazda-powered cars road-raced in the United States than any other brand, the Mazda Furai (Japanese for "sound of the wind" and pronounced "fu-rye") is the sort of car that could only come from a company that incorporates the "Soul of a Sports Car" into everything it builds, but with an eye toward the future and the environment through the use of 100% ethanol produced in partnership with British Petroleum (BP).
Furai takes Mazda's unique Nagare (Japanese for "flow") design language a step further as it is translated into a concept car based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing car. The car utilizes the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track.
Says Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda's North American director of design, "Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from track cars. Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and street-legal models -- commonly called supercars
-- that emulate the real racers on the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before."
Mazda's critically acclaimed Nagare design language describes the flow of water, air, people or things moving in one direction. Mazda Nagare is flow, with an insightful and spirited styling, which, in Mazda Furai, invokes a raw, unfettered desire to possess everything this car represents.
2009 Mazda RX-8
Sporting a freshened design, improved handing, acceleration, quality and features, the 2009 Mazda RX-8 continues to be a "Sports Car like no other," and shows that the rotary engine is still an important part of Mazda's future.
Since its launch in 2003, the Mazda RX-8 has been hailed as a genuine sports car, but with a totally new, four-door, four-seat format that delivers sports car values, passenger comfort and driving pleasure. Powered by the world's only mass-produced rotary engine, RX-8 is the spiritual successor to the 1967 Cosmo 110S, the world's first twin-rotor production car. With almost two-million rotary engines sold, and the company's legendary win at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans -- the only Japanese brand to ever win the endurance racing classic -- the rotary engine is the sole preserve of Mazda.
Mazda Taiki
Making its North American debut, the first time it has been shown outside of Japan where it was hailed as the "Concept of the Show" by a major enthusiast publication at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda is eager to show the Mazda Taiki alongside the all-new Mazda Furai.
While Taiki is significant as the fourth of the Nagare-inspired concepts in the series, it is also the third rotary-powered car that will be debuted on the Mazda stand. Mazda is committed to the current and future development and production of the rotary engine, as well as pursuing multiple fuel strategies under its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom plan.
The challenge to create "a design that visually expresses the flow of air" was inspired by the image of a pair of Hagoromo -- the flowing robes that enable a celestial maiden to fly in Japanese legend -- floating down from the sky.
Inspired by Japanese koinobori -- the decorative "climbing carp streamers" -- the notion of creating an Air-tube became the concept word for the interior design. In accordance, from the dashboard and seats down to the door trim, the interior space creates the dynamic sensation that the flow of the wind is being visually depicted.
Additionally, Mazda will have a special display of racecars on its stand during the press days, and the full lineup of production cars for consumers to sample for public days.
Headquartered in Irvine, California, Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Aetius @ Dec 11th 2007 10:19PM
Thats pic is SO 'GT5 screenshot'!
EMC @ Dec 11th 2007 10:19PM
...three...rotor...?
*drool*
:P~~~~~0
Jake @ Dec 13th 2007 4:11PM
For those not familiar with the three rotor version...
From Wiki:
A popular modification to the 3rd Gen RX-7 is the substitution of a 20B (2.0 litre) 3-rotor engine taken from the Eunos Cosmo in place of the stock 13B (1.3 litre) 2-rotor engine. Many aftermarket performance houses sell conversion kits with the 20B engine, such as Stillen and Pettit Racing. Such 3-rotor configurations typically produce 550 hp (410 kW) and a top speed of well over 200 mph (300 km/h). While critics claim that any 13B 2-rotor RX-7 can be highly tuned to achieve this level of performance, the difference is in daily drivability and reliability that makes the 20B conversion superior to the stock 13B motor at those high horsepower levels.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20B#20B
Austin @ Dec 11th 2007 10:23PM
Please Mazda and Ford, build it. It would kick the GT-R's butt.
John P. @ Dec 11th 2007 10:30PM
I'm with you, they really should build this thing. I would love to see Mazda own this segment of the market, where it looks like the GT-R is looking pretty lonely at the moment.
Not to mention, the article reminds us of 1991 when Mazda WON LeMans. What's the best the GT-R ever did at LeMans? 16th or something? LOL
Brian @ Dec 11th 2007 10:31PM
Those spy photos of the '2010' look an awfully lot like the RX-8 in my driveway.
r8 @ Dec 11th 2007 10:36PM
Mazda won with 787B prototype with a 26B that pushes over 700hp+
If they build this, this concept they're showing is a mid-engined 20B. Mazda does not have any mid-engine car in the past or present. If they build it, it'll be a supercar.
Alex Nunez @ Dec 11th 2007 10:36PM
I have a feeling the spy pics are the '09 after today's announcement.
SPF @ Dec 11th 2007 11:08PM
I know, it doesn't look that "refreshed".
mk @ Dec 11th 2007 11:10PM
mid engined mazda with a 450hp pineapple???
sounds like a LOT of fun. Do they have the guts, money, and market placement to sell something like that???
Guts maybe, money maybe, market placement maybe not.
I think that engine might be groomed for the RX7 revival, though. The Fd was so classically styled, I am not sure that the new nagare design language can forward that.
james f. @ Dec 12th 2007 12:38AM
ditto on your market placement thoughts. As a proud Mazdaspeed3 owner I can say that Mazda dealers are the one thing that would prevent me from buying again. Their sales experience is akin to buying from any early 80's domestic store. In other words, slimy as possible.
The Mazda lineup shines from all angles nowadays but their dealer sales network has along way to go before they should sell any supercar. Oh wait those GT-R's are going into select(whatever that means) Nissan stealerships as well. Well bring it on Mazda! If Nissan can do it you can too!
Emmo213 @ Dec 12th 2007 9:29AM
James, you might want to try a different dealership then. My experience at Brown Mazda in Toledo, Oh was the best experience possible - exactly how buying a car should be.
Rogue_G @ Dec 11th 2007 11:13PM
As much as I love the GTR, if Mazda actually DID make a supercar, I'd be all over it. The RX-8 is a blast to drive, but 450 stock hp in a concept like the Furai would really steal Nissan's thunder.
Question is, will Ford let them?
refugee7 @ Dec 11th 2007 11:22PM
Ford won't. History tells that an extremely expensive Rx-7 will not sell thus not being profitable for Ford.
naggs @ Dec 12th 2007 8:22PM
the next rx7 needs to target the 350z, that is the sweet spot for sportscars. above $35k the numbers drop off very quickly and below $25k the profit margins are too low for anything that sells less than 100k a year.
its fine to have a high end version that pushes the price point into the high $30s but the volume model, the one that is going to justify the continued developement of a totally unique powertrain, has to start under 30
Dan @ Dec 12th 2007 11:23PM
What does Ford have to do with it?
refugee7 @ Dec 11th 2007 11:21PM
I'm sorry. I own a Rx-8 and I know my Rx-7 history. I do not want a new generation to compete with the GTR. Why? Because it is too damn expensive. GTR has sales potential for ... 3 years maybe? I would hope the Rx-7 is maybe 2/3 the price of the GTR and 3rd gen Rx-7 (adjusted for inflation would be $60k). I think a light weight 1.6 rotary Rx-7 would be perfect halo car for Mazda, only a little more expensive than a loaded CX-9 yet still sell moderately well. Rx-7 vs Cayman? Not the worst opposition. Anyways, there are always aftermarket parts if you want to slaughter that GTR across the street :-D.
MissZae @ Dec 11th 2007 11:27PM
So if this concept uses a three-rotor design would it be using the old 2.0 rotary engine design (650cc X 3) or the new 16X (800cc X 3)?
refugee7 @ Dec 11th 2007 11:34PM
most likely 3x .6L
Jimbo @ Dec 11th 2007 11:46PM
The 16X is only a two-rotor model.