(cover image: design studies of the the Mazda Ryuga - below - and the Hakaze)

The award was accepted by Laurens van den Acker, General Manager of the Design Division of Mazda Motor Corporation, at a gala ceremony held at the exclusive Les Invalides in Paris on last 6 February 2008.

This is the second major design prize for Mazda at the Festival Automobile International in Paris: in 2006, Mazda Senku was chosen “Most Beautiful Design Concept”, while the Mazda Ryuga was recently awarded the prestigious Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award 2007.

“This award reflects creativity and hard work of Mazda’s entire global design team. To accept it on their behalf is a great honour for me personally,” said Laurens van den Acker.

About the Grand Prix du Design

The Festival Automobile International is held annually to “pay tribute to beauty, design and art” in the automotive industry.

The Grand Prize for Design honours the work of a design studio or a manufacturer, and its influence on the automotive world.

This year’s jury consisted of leading figures from the sports car industry, architecture, fashion, design, art and the media. Its Chairman is architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, and its members include well-known people from the design and automotive worlds like Anne Asensio, Alain Prost and Hervé Poulain.

For more information, please visit www.festivalautomobile.com.

About Mazda Design and the Nagare Language

Mazda Nagare Concept

During the last 16 months, Mazda’s international design team has introduced five concept cars based on a new design language called Nagare.

The word “Nagare” is Japanese for “flow” and “the embodiment of movement” and takes its inspiration from how natural forces like wind and water move in nature. Embodied by a unique surface language, and combined with form and proportion, it communicates movement in a new way.

Mazda Nagare concept car, for instance, (LA Motor Show 2006) has surface articulation inspired by geological flow patterns, while the Mazda Ryuga (Detroit Motor Show 2007) has a side body texture inspired by Japanese raked gardens.

Mazda Hakaze (Geneva Motor Show 2007) is inspired by sand dunes and Taiki (Tokyo Motor Show 2007) visualises the natural flow of air, while Mazda Furai (Detroit Motor Show 2008) displays flow lines in a strongly sports car style.

For more information, read About the Mazda Nagare Concept Series.

(Source: Mazda)