Autoblog

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Word from inside the pages of an unnamed Japanese auto mag is that this car will debut on the Mazda stand at this year's Tokyo Motor Show next month. The coupe is obviously inspired by the trio of concepts that Mazda debuted on the auto show circuit last year: the Nagare, Ryuga and Kabura concepts. While we don't know if these pics are official from Mazda or merely renderings produced by the magazine, we can tell you that at least the head on shot is a touched up version of a Kabura sketch. In fact, the entire car looks mostly like a production version of the Kabura Concept, though it features cues from all three concepts.

Though it's not known whether it would be front- or rear-wheel drive, the article is reported to mention that it would be powered by the next generation of Mazda's rotary engine, the RENESIS(2), which itself will incorporate the first increase in displacement of a Mazda rotary engine from its famous 1.3 liters since 1974.

Regardless of whether or not these are official pics, one thing's for sure is that they show a car we'd want to buy. Ever since seeing the Nagare, Ryuga and Senku concepts, we've wondered how those radical concepts might translate into a production car, and we might have our answer in a few weeks.

Thanks for the tip, Michael!

[Source: Rotarynews.com]

We have already seen media pics of the Mazda Hakaze. We even have all of the details about the mechanicals. What we didn't have until today are live shots and personal impressions of what it's really like in the "flesh." Well, thanks to our own Damon Lavrinc in Geneva, we do now. He describes it as "ambitious," "beautifully fluid", and, when referring to all of Mazda's recent concepts, a "modern Pininfarina with a Japanese flare." It brings some cohesion to recent Mazda offerings like the CX-7 and CX-9.

Following on the heels of the Nagare and Ryuga concepts Mazda has shown over the past year, the Hakaze adds a "flying leaf" motif to the mix. The body surface mimics its predecessors with the ripples, this time looking like flowing sand dunes, which Mazda's designers are calling the "flop" technique of color manipulation.

Whatever. Besides giving us the emotional embodiment of "kite-surfing," the important thing to note about the Hakaze is the fact that Mazda has said it is the one concept of the three that has the best chance of seeing production.Ready for a CX-5, everybody?

Click away for our high-res gallery from Geneva with all of the media pics still available as well.