From the official Press Release:

Tthe Mazda Taiki, the fourth concept car in the Nagare series and debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.

Created by the Yokohama Design Center team led by Chief Designer Yamada Atsuhiko, the Mazda Taiki represents a possible direction for design and technology to support the future of Mazda’s sustainability efforts.

The innovative styling, intends to transport the viewer's senses into the future andencompasses functional beauty, featuring outstanding aerodynamic performance.

"Starting with the debut of the Mazda Nagare at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the process of moving from west to east around the globe towards the unveiling of the Mazda Taiki in Tokyo was a journey of personal discovery for Mazda design.

"Still, it does not mean that we arrived at any specific goal. On the contrary, it marks a new beginning in the ongoing evolution of Mazda design," says Laurens van den Ackers.  

Mazda Taiki, visually expresses the atmosphere - called taiki in Japanese - that wraps the Earth in its protective mantle.

It is powered by the next-generation RENESIS (rotary engine 16X), which sets new standards for environmental and driving performance, features a front-engine rear-wheel drive layout, unique 2-seat configuration, and others which convey an image of lightness.

The effect integrates perfectly the design theme to realise unbeatable aerodynamic performance.

An evolution of Nagare design; the form of a car that operates in harmony with the environment; the creation of an iconic Mazda sports car symbolised by its next-generation RENESIS.

Chief designer Atsuhiko Yamada presented his team with a single objective: create “a design that visually expresses the flow of air”. The challenge was inspired by the image of a pair of Hagoromo - the flowing robes that enable a celestial maiden to fly according to Japanese legend.

“The preceding three concept cars in the Nagare series each took a hint from nature, such as the flow of water or the patterned surface of wind-swept sand dunes.

"In contrast, we wanted the concept car for the Tokyo Motor Show to convey both the beauty and power of nature, while also emphasising the importance and the wonderful splendor of our environment," Chief Designer Atsuhiko Yamada’s explains.

"That led to our focusing on the air that blankets our planet and our desire to apply Nagare design in visually representing this entity, which is normally invisible to the eye,”

In addition to drawing sketch after sketch in various attempts to capture the right look, the designers also tried unique approaches, such as soaking cloth in plaster and then hanging it to dry while flapping in the wind, thereby capturing the motion of air in solid form.

Exterior Design

The basic proportions begin with the stretched coupe form of a front-engine rear-wheel drive layout, the short overhangs, and the liberating feel of the all-glass canopy, which combine to express a harmony of elegance and sportiness.

The lower of the layered hagoromo flows from the front fenders to the sides, where it wraps under the body and gracefully curves up at the rear.

The other hagoromo flows from the hood through the shoulder lines it etches, past the unique independent rear fender design, and lends a seductive curve to the rear deck.

The fusion of these flowing upper and lower surfaces not only creates a visual depiction of flowing air, it also minimises body volume for a trim, well-toned appearance, as well as creating a sense of floating lightly on air.

This sensation is further amplified by the Ozonic Silver paint that was specially developed for this project. The outer panels of the doors that open widely toward the front form a relief that symbolizes the accelerating flow of air actually experienced by the designer during wind tunnel tests.

Aerodynamics

The design team sought to achieve an extremely high level of aerodynamic performance through a combination of design and technologies. A bird's-eye view of the Mazda Taiki body shows how much its width is tapered from front to rear. From the side, one sees the smooth line of the flat underside kick up dramatically at the rear of the body.

The distinctive shape around the rear wheels, which channels air flowing back from the front fender through a 'tunnel' formed between the body and rear fender, also proved effective in creating downforce.

The already high aerodynamic potential of the original form was then fine tuned, the end result being an excellent drag coefficient of 0.25 and zero lift.

Illumination

The edges of the blades that comprise the grille are fitted with ultra-fine rows of brilliant LEDs. The rear combination lamps and door-mounted turn signal lamps employ unique Mazda technology and appear to shine through the body color but are distinguishable only when lit. The effect throughout creates the illusion of flowing air being transformed into lights visible to the human eye.

Wheels and tires design

A collaborative effort with the tyre designers and engineers created 22-inch tyres for the Mazda Taiki that are dynamic in size and feature a bold tread pattern modeled after a flowing motif.

The turbine wheel design was inspired by the turbo fan blades of a jet engine and developed in close collaboration with wheel engineers to create a unique design.  (Cooperation: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd, Enkei Corporation)

Koinobori interior design

Inspired by Japanese koinobori, the decorative “climbing carp streamers” that fly proudly in early May in Japan, the notion of creating an Air-tube became the concept word for the interior design.

In accordance, everything from the dashboard and seats down to the door trim creates the dynamic sensation that the flow of the wind is being visually depicted.

At the same time, the design team created a unique ambience for each half of the interior.

The colours and materials clearly divide the cabin into black and white zones, and the strength of the design lines expresses a dynamic yet gentle quality.

On the driver’s side, the dashboard twists in dynamic fashion and continues on the cushion of the driver's seat.

The independent seatback and headrest also create a new expression of flowing lightly, as though on a breeze. Black trim used as the keynote colour, creates an environment that better helps the driver concentrate on driving.

The passenger 'zone' provides the relaxing comfort of a lounge chair surrounded by plenty of legroom. The white trim colour helps accent the resulting expression of roomy comfort that truly befits a passenger seat.

The design concept aims for a new form of sports car cabin. The centre shelf between the driver and passenger seats can be effectively used as flexible utility space.

The cabin precludes any sense of symmetry or adherence to any prescribed design doctrine. Each part embodies flowing wind, instilling a light, airy feel, that also creates an organic, dream-like ambience.

The transparent teardrop roof that covers the cabin is reinforced by a truss frame with flowing contours that constitute one part of the body structure.

The same design theme is also applied to the steering column and seat frame of the driver's seat. To make the beautiful contours of this frame design clearly visible, the cushion and back for the driver's seat are made from a clear elastic silicone plastic material.

The black and white genuine leather of the interior features flowing calligraphic strokes painted on the surface using a gloss paint that contains metallic pigment. A new technique developed through collaboration with textile designers allowed an artist to use a brush to visually recreate the flow of the wind.

The lines follow the contours of the dashboard and seats to further emphasise the sense of flow. The material surface is coated using a process that is unique to Mazda. (Cooperation: NUNO Corporation)

Extending to embrace the steering wheel and driver’s seat, the respective edges of the dashboard each feature a row of red LEDs that function as the tachometer. Streams of red light flow toward the front on either side of the driver to visually depict leaps in engine RPM. The result is dynamic visual feedback that expresses the emotion of driving.

The rotary-inspired steering wheel integrates controls that allow to perform all driving operations without removing the hands from the steering wheel, and features a multi-display that provides the driver with a variety of information displays.

Mazda Taiki - Technical Specifications

About the Mazda Nagare Concept Series

Mazda Nagare Concept

While still further advancing the design of Mazda cars and instilling an even sportier and more athletic look, Laurens van den Acker, General Manager, Design Division, Mazda Corporation challenged his design team to develop a new form of expression that evokes a perception of motion, even when the car is standing still.

This gave birth to the theme of 'flow' design, as based on the Japanese word 'Nagare', which means 'flow' or 'the embodiment of movement'.

Mazda designers turned to nature for inspiration, focusing on images of motion created in nature by forces like wind and water.

Natural flow lines are all around us - shapes etched in sand dunes by the wind, ocean waves as seen from above, lava flows running down the slopes of a volcano. All lend an intuitive sense of motion.

Mazda Ryuga Concept

It was in making the transition from observing motion in nature as an expression of energy to applying it to a manmade object such as a car that the design team discovered what a thoroughly exciting and logical creative approach the design concept represented.

This revelation allowed the designers to proceed to create one dramatic and unique design after another.

The first concept car created using this new approach was the Mazda Nagare, which US-based design team Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen sees as "a pure reflection of the flow design approach."

Mazda Ryuga followed closely after from Mazda’s Hiroshima Design Center, expressing the beauty of motion found in nature, as well as motion controlled by man. Chief Designer Yasushi Nakamuta explained: “The challenge was to incorporate elegant and refined design treatments that express Japanese concepts of mysterious beauty and intelligence within a dynamic body shape.”

Mazda Hakaze Concept

Evidence of this approach can be observed in the side surfaces, which were inspired by the simple yet beautifully refined flow of carefully raked rocks found in Japanese karesansui gardens.

Mazda’s European Design Center presented Mazda Corporation's Design Division in Japan with the Mazda Hakaze design concept, aimed not only to suggest future possibilities for a compact crossover vehicle from Mazda, but also to offer a concept that fully considers practical application.

Chief Designer Peter Birtwhistle sought to express the sensation of the wind blowing across the sand dunes, both in the textures used for the sides of the body, and within the interior as well.

And true to this, repeated patterns across the exterior and interior, which evoke images of sand dunes, effectively express flow and motion. 

(Source: Mazda)