Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of Mazda's new CUV concept

Mazda announced today that it will debut a new compact crossover concept at this year's Moscow International Automobile Salan that incorporates the brand's Nagare design language into a more functional form. While not yet officially named, the crossover concept is said to express the design theme of "crosswinds" and is being developed specifically for the Russian market. SUVs are still popular in Russia and the market for new cars has grown large enough there to warrant the specific attention of automakers. The Moscow Motor Show will take place in late August at which time we'll get to see Mazda's Russian crossover concept, and we're told an official name will be announced in due course. Check out a few more pics in the gallery below to see if this concept is as impressive as Mazda's previous Nagare concepts, including the Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki and Furai.


[Source: Mazda]

PRESS RELEASE

New Mazda Concept Car to Premiere at Moscow International Automobile Salon

HIROSHIMA, Japan-Mazda will present an all-new show car at this year's Moscow International Automobile Salon. The concept is a sporty, compact crossover SUV designed especially for the Russian market.

The Moscow show car is the latest concept to be developed using the new design direction called Nagare – following in the footsteps of Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki and Furai. Nagare, which means "flow" in Japanese, represents a new approach to expressing movement in car design, taking as inspiration the flow patterns of natural elements, such as the wind. The design theme of Mazda's concept for the 2008 Moscow motor show is "crosswinds".

Russia is one of Europe's fastest-growing markets and is rapidly becoming the region's largest automobile market. SUVs are particularly popular in Russia, with a segment share of about 20 percent. Mazda's latest concept car is designed to appeal particularly to younger SUV owners who have a strong sense of style.

The Moscow show car, the name of which will be announced in due course, again showcases the depth of creativity within Mazda design. In February 2008, the Mazda Design team received the coveted Grand Prix du Design at the Festival Automobile International in Paris.

The Moscow International Automobile Salon media days are on August 26 and 27, whereas August 28 caters for industry and trade specialists. The show is open to the public from August 29 through September 7. The new show car will be unveiled at the Mazda press conference at 10:15 on August 26 at the Mazda stand.