By John LeBlanc
Well, so much for that. After four years of teasing us with concept after concept, highlighted by the
Furai concept (below, left) from the 2008 Detroit show, it looks like
Mazda is canning its much bally-hooed
Nagare design language.
“Nagare is done. After the
5, it’s highly unlikely that there will be another Nagare car. Mazda has moved on,” the Japanese automaker's European design boss, Brit Peter Birtwhistle, told the U.K.’s
AutoExpress. If anything, the whole Nagare trip advanced a few designers’ career aspirations.
Former Mazda head pen, Dutchman Laurens van den Acker, the man responsible for the original 2006 Nagare (above), 2007
Ryuga and
Hakaze concepts that established the so-called Nagare’s “flow” design language, parlayed that success into the VP of design position at
Renault, succeeding living legend Patrick le Quément.
Unfortunately, the wavy Nagare metal sculpting has only been applied to one production car: the
2011 Mazda5 miniminivan (right). And even Birtwhistle admits the Mazda5’s Nagare metal work looks a bit forced, saying the look was “particularly difficult to apply to a boxy people carrier shape.”
No kidding.
Anyway, Mazda needs to start all over again. And like another Japanese automaker that needed a
quick design fix, it looks like Mazda is going to look to the West, to Italy, specifically, for some design mojo.
Birtwhistle says that Mazda is aiming to become “more like a Japanese
Alfa Romeo, producing cars which are great to drive, but crucially that also have the right premium feel, particularly inside.” Apparently, we’ll see the first new Alfa-Mazda at this fall’s Paris show.
Do you think Mazda made a wise choice canning its Nagare look after all these years?
Is turning to a European brand for inspiration a good idea for a Japanese automaker?
[Source:
AutoExpress]
Comments
“Nagare is done. After the 5, it’s highly unlikely that there will be another Nagare car. Mazda has moved on,” the Japanese automaker's European design boss, Brit Peter Birtwhistle, told the U.K.’s AutoExpress. If anything, the whole Nagare trip advanced a few designers’ career aspirations.
Former Mazda head pen, Dutchman Laurens van den Acker, the man responsible for the original 2006 Nagare (above), 2007 Ryuga and Hakaze concepts that established the so-called Nagare’s “flow” design language, parlayed that success into the VP of design position at Renault, succeeding living legend Patrick le Quément.
Unfortunately, the wavy Nagare metal sculpting has only been applied to one production car: the 2011 Mazda5 miniminivan (right). And even Birtwhistle admits the Mazda5’s Nagare metal work looks a bit forced, saying the look was “particularly difficult to apply to a boxy people carrier shape.”
No kidding.
Anyway, Mazda needs to start all over again. And like another Japanese automaker that needed a quick design fix, it looks like Mazda is going to look to the West, to Italy, specifically, for some design mojo.
Birtwhistle says that Mazda is aiming to become “more like a Japanese Alfa Romeo, producing cars which are great to drive, but crucially that also have the right premium feel, particularly inside.” Apparently, we’ll see the first new Alfa-Mazda at this fall’s Paris show.
Do you think Mazda made a wise choice canning its Nagare look after all these years?
Is turning to a European brand for inspiration a good idea for a Japanese automaker?
[Source: AutoExpress]