The interior of the Hakaze concept is defined by Mazda as a "natural environment", a triumph of form, texture and functionality.

Its two large, pop-up doors are keyless, one-touch and give a wide opening into one of its four bucket seats. Once inside, Hakaze’s interior gives an intense open feeling, even with the roof on.

The windscreen extends to behind the front occupants, creating an enormous viewing angle.

The A-pillar dives into the instrument panel just in front of the door, making this feeling even stronger. 

“Nagare is visible on the interior in the main surfaces, which are a combination of gently flowing volumes with edges that slowly fade away,” says Jo Stenuit, Assistant Chief Designer who, along with Masato Ogawa, Lead Designer from Hiroshima, designed Mazda Hakaze’s interior.

”Inspiration was taken from a dune landscape with the technical parts, like the steering column, being pushed into the surface like a shell that is partly covered in sand on the beach.  Also the textures follow this gentle flow of form in a natural manner. All this creates a sensual feeling for the interior and makes sitting in Hakaze like sitting in a natural environment.”

The interior design, and especially the instrument panel, is asymmetrical with a strong focus on the driver. The wrap-around cockpit features a long steering unit that gives a feeling of sportiness and depth.

It has orange-lit meters on each side of the steering wheel –speedometer and tachometer –and in the centre of the steering column is an LCD screen with navigation information, images from the car’s rear view and side cameras and warning indicators –all of which give an enhanced feeling of control to the driver.

The centre of the steering wheel is fixed, only the rim and the lower arm can rotate.

There are also unique sliding controls to the right of the driver on the centre console, which follow the three illuminated lines in the surface.

These lines have a dune wave design to make it easy for the driver to slide his finger up or down along the surface.

Doing so adjusts seat positions, heating, audio and multimedia devices, with light below the surface moving up or down with the finger.

The wave strip furthest from the driver has the controls for the car’s hard disc drive multimedia system and an LCD screen that electrically rises up and out of the dashboard surface on the passenger side.

This screen can be turned by hand so the driver can also see it when the car is parked.

Data can be transferred to and from the car’s computer with a personal "data shell", which is a further development of the USB stick concept used on the Mazda Sassou design car.

It is a wireless device that allows the driver to open the car simply by carrying it in his pocket, and also allows him to save his personal driving settings and data from his home computer (route, music, movies).

After getting in the car, the driver pushes the switch on the side of the”data shell”causing the connector to pop out (in way similar to a key).

This he sticks into a designated slot in the centre console and it automatically downloads the stored information wireless using Bluetooth® technology and provides ignition.

Once in place, the”data shell”also functions as the gear shift lever for the concept’s automatic gearbox.

Mazda Hakaze concept also has a wireless charging pad located in the glove box (also using Bluetooth®) to recharge the batteries of a mobile phone, PDA, camera or MP3 player.

This insightful solution does away with annoying cables hanging everywhere, and keeps the device out of view and safe while it recharges automatically.

All of Mazda Hakaze’s seats are mounted on the centre tunnel and are electrically adjustable, sliding fore and aft.

For more room in the boot, the rear seats slide forward with their lower cushions under the front seats, which give ample space in the hatch for all kinds of gear necessary for a day at the beach.

With the windows down and the top off, there is a true roadster feel wherever you happen to be sitting in the car.

Technical Features

The Mazda Hakaze design concept has been conceived to be equipped with either a DISI* gasoline engine or a diesel engine.

The MZR 2.3-litre DISI gasoline is a high-performance turbocharged engine with direct injection that is coupled to an active torque-split all-wheel drive transmission and a 6-speed sport automatic gearbox.

Combined with Mazda Hakaze’s aerodynamic shape and lightweight body, the engine would allow for a reduced fuel consumption.

The chassis adopts MacPherson front struts and multi-link rear suspensions for agile handling.

Mazda Hakaze Concept - Technical Data

Dimensions	Overall length	4420 mm
	Overall width	1890 mm
	Overall height	1560 mm
	Wheelbase	2650 mm
	Seating capacity	4
	Boot volume	400 l
Engine	Type	MZR 2.3 DISI turbo petrol
Transmission	Type	6-speed electronically controlled sport automatic gearbox. Mazda’s active torque-split all wheel-drive transmission
Tyres & Wheels	Type	Dunlop 255/50 R 20 20’’ x 9 J

(Source: Mazda)