TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Mazda VISION COUPE

No, the Mazda VISION COUPE is not a development of the striking 2015 RX-VISION concept, which heralds Mazda’s born-again RX rotary sports car due in 2020 — Mazda’s centenary year — although it does borrow some design elements from the rakish coupe.

Instead, this sleek four-door ‘coupe’ is designed to preview Mazda’s next-generation KODO design theme, which will debut on the next-generation Mazda6 sedan.

However, like the RX sports car, the next Mazda6 remains years away and will be preceded by the all-new 2019 Mazda3, which was also previewed at today’s Tokyo motor show — by the KAI hatchback concept.

Speaking on the eve of the Tokyo show, Mazda design director Ikuo Maeda confirmed that one of the models previewed by the VISION COUPE was the next Mazda6, which had been next in line for the full ‘SKYACTIV II’ engine and chassis treatment which will instead appear first with the replacement for the volume-selling Mazda3.

So, just as the 2010 Shinari concept introduced Mazda’s original KODO design language and heralded the current Mazda6 - which is expected to debut major design and mechanical upgrades at the Los Angeles show next month - the VISION COUPE concept previews ‘KODO II’ and the next Mazda6, the company’s flagship passenger model.

However, according to Mazda, while the RX-VISION and KAI concepts were the sportiest expressions of KODO design so far, the VISION COUPE was the most luxurious example of Mazda’s latest design language, which aims to take the company upmarket with elegant, premium and uniquely Japanese styling.

“For the coming generation of Mazda vehicles, we are creating a look that is even more elegant than anything seen before, yet with the sense of vitality that characterizes the Mazda style. We have set out a design philosophy which encapsulates a distinctively Japanese kind of beauty -- a style cultivated since ancient times as a look that is sublime yet subtle,” he said.

“While the current shift towards automated driving is sure to create new value for society, we at Mazda have concerns that this could also weaken the bond that exists between humans and cars -- the interaction between the driver and the vehicle he or she operates.

“Given current technological trends, we believe it is vital that cars retain their intimate positions in the lives of their drivers — almost like a member of the family. What’s more, we intend to work still harder to bring out the special beauty and appeal of cars themselves.

“A form created by applying the vision of Japanese aesthetics, beautiful and refined yet exuding a sense of warmth – a comfortable space where humans can truly feel at one with the vehicle. This is the vision Mazda has in mind when we design our cars.

“The car we have in mind is the kind of car that can only come from Mazda, a brand embodying the emphasis that Japanese culture places on the bond between human beings and the tools they use. Creating cars that can do this is the challenge that drives Mazda Design.”

>> <a href="/tokyo-motor-show/">Read more Tokyo motor show news<br> </a>>> Check out 2017 Tokyo motor show photos