2006 Mazda Kabura Concept

Mazda arrived for Detroits North American International Auto Show in style with the production CX-7 crossover, recently introduced at the LA Auto Show, looking almost panel for panel true to the MX-Crossport Concept, which was introduced a year ago. Its toned down for sure, but still muscularly curvy and aggressive with great overall presence. Mind you, the interior lost a few of the higher tech elements, the futuristic centre stack and IP, plus the floating seats mounted on monorails, for example. The interior still looks fabulous, but it is easy to overlook considering how great the sporty ute looks on the outside. Credit the compact Tribute for giving Mazda a presence in the SUV market, but the CX-7 just screams Mazda, something the Tribute never did. Shockingly, despite how good it is, the CX-7 was not the star of the Mazdas Detroit stand.

The star that shone brightest was the Kabura concept, unveiled by Franz von Holzhauzen, who led the project as Mazdas director of design at its Irvine, California design studio. After Mazdas European studio focused on a flexible and economical city car concept with the signature Mazda zoom-zoom in the Sassou, and the Japanese studio created a rakish, ethereal and sporty cruiser in the Senku, the American design house went for a project with seemingly more immediate application.

Whereas the European and Japanese pushed the envelope as far as it could possibly go within the context of their particular regional influences, Holzhausen and his California designers focused on the resurgence of compact, high-performance sports models (350Z, IS 350, Mustang, Civic Si Coupe to name a few). So while the Kabura may not have seemed like something out of a Batman comic book, the idea that its design seems very applicable to a new model is much more exciting than the sheer flights of fancy that the pioneering Senku and happy-go-lucky Sassou represent.

The Kabura seems to already fit in with the Mazda family, next to the stylish and varied 6 lineup, the compact, efficient 3, the slightly hyper, yet practical RX-8, the reborn MX-5 roadster and the aforementioned CX-7. Mazda even has a nameplate they could resurrect that both fits in with their new alphanumeric naming scheme, and its traditional, rear-wheel drive 2-door coupe configuration: the RX-3.

So are we looking at a future RX-3? Or as some have theorized, donate the RX-8s Renesis rotary engine for a possible RX-7? Mazdas lips (not that Mazda really has lips, but you know what I mean) are sealed for now, although the concept shares components with the MX-5s chassis, a critical hit that could only be improved by a hardtop structure and a few extra inches in wheelbase.

Power comes from a 2.0-liter 16-valve DOHC four-cylinder engine, routed to the rear wheels through a six-speed gearbox. That doesnt really sound very conceptual, but the three projects were all originally designated as pure design concepts, and so it seems the Americans took everything more literally than their international counterparts, who conceived of micro-displacement turbocharged engine for the Sassou and a rotary hydrogen powerplant for the Senku. Or, as I like to look at it, we already have the underpinnings in place for the "MX-3" I am so looking forward to driving. I only hope Mazda can also squeeze the 2.3 DISI turbocharged unit from the Mazdaspeed6 and CX-7 into the engine bay. Then, as with the 3, 6 and RX-8, Mazda could once again upset the apple cart and bring new magic to new segments and new drivers.

However, with a simple 2-liter engine and perhaps less than the current 19-inch wheels in front and 20s at the rear, a new MX-3 could come in at or below the MX-5s $20K window sticker, a great price point for a car that Mazda envisions for first-time buyers, which is perhaps their reasoning behind its name.

Kabura is a Japanese term for an arrow, that, when fired, made a unique sound signaling the start of a battle. Perhaps Mazda is ready to take on more foes than the roadster field can offer against its MX-5.

And what innovations does the Kabura offer in terms of design? The interior, as with most Mazda concepts, is a fanciful blend of lighthearted colors and forms arranged in an original and practical configuration. In the case of the Kabura, they call the configuration 3+1, because the passenger sits several inches farther forward than the driver, allowing the rear passenger more access to conversation and the drivers attention. In a pinch, the +1 seat behind the driver provides equal accommodation for a fourth because it is staggered farther to the back.

Nonetheless, this arrangement conforms to a Volvo study that found that those interested in coupes and small vehicles often werent interested in the fourth and even third seating position (see concept car or prototype archives for Volvo C30 Concept review). Two is often enough for most activities worth pursuing. All seats can also fold flat for a capacious storage area able to accommodate large objects, if you prefer large objects to passengers. Another notable aspect of the interior is that all seat coverings are composed of recycled leather donated from Nikes waste pile, with an eye to their future ad campaign wherein they will claim that "it fits like an old, worn-in sneaker". Thats not very fair, so I will also compliment them on the use of perfectly good materials and in encouraging the further use of what would otherwise be waste.

The exterior, to my eye, was a very well-resolved study, almost to the point of being conventional, for a Mazda (although once again, thats only because the two predecessors in the trilogy were so far off the charts). The typical Mazda grille is filled in black and flanked by two air intakes for brake cooling, no doubt. Right above the intakes are L-shaped light clusters that wrap over top of the massive fenders that bulge out to fit the 19-inch wheels and tires. Meanwhile, the hood sports a glass panel to view the engine and the windshield extends all the way back over the front passengers for a well-lit environment in the cabin.

The windows are a bit larger than many concepts, and even production cars have been getting away with lately, but they are extremely practical for good visibility, and there is a neat stepped kink at the doors shut line, basically a mini-B-pillar, that leads up to the tiny rear quarter window. Rear wheel arches are clearly defined, emphasizing how well the 20-inch wheels in the back fill the space, with little to no room to spare.

While the front has more going on detail-wise, the rear bumper runs smoothly across with the lower fascia sporting diffuser-type openings to either side of the twin exhaust tips. The rear window is split into an upper hatch and an additional lower screen to aid visibility, and this lower window shape dips into the bumper, mirroring the signature shape of the Mazda grille up front.

How much of the styling might we see on a future Mazda product is the subject of much speculation, but little information is coming from the people at Mazda. Perhaps they are waiting to gauge public response, but their years of dominance in the affordable roadster market with the Miata, the huge popularity of the Mustang and its attainable sporty good looks, and Mazdas tradition of bringing radical concepts to life (the RX-8 and its rear suicide doors come to mind), all lead me to believe that this is the next segment the zoom-zoom marketers will want to take on. Does anything scream zoom-zoom more than a compact sports coupe? Of course, the Kabura is just the first arrow into the field, and surely there are more to follow.