2007 Mazda Ryuga Concept

At last year’s North American International Auto Show Mazda unveiled what was undoubtedly the hit of the show, the Kabura. One year later I still think they need to put it into production ASAP. As I have said in the past, the first automaker to introduce a small sporty, 200+ horsepower RWD four-passenger coupe priced around that of a FWD sport compact will have a huge hit on their hands. The Kabura could fit that bill. Now that I am done imploring Mazda to build the car that I, as a consumer, want to buy, I should probably focus on the concept they introduced this year at 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Building on the Nagare, meaning “flow” in Japanese, which was introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show the month prior, General Manager ofMazda’s Design Division Laurens van der Acker unveiled the second chapter of this season’s Mazda concept cars called the Ryuga. Ryuga is Japanese for “Gracious Flow”, and its shapes and lines were inspired by “Karesansui”, which to the uninitiated (such as I) are Japanese rock gardens that feature carefully raked pebbles and pools of water. The head of the Ryuga design team, Yasushi Nakamuta was on hand for the introduction, to much applause from the crowd.

Powered by a flex-fuel-capable, slightly larger 2.5-liter version of Mazda’s current MZR engine family, and mated to a 6-speed automatic, the Ryuga is a foot shorter and a foot lower than a Mazda 3.The Ryuga features a lot of passive and active safety features, including rearview cameras and blind-spot monitoring, both of which the driver will need since the mirrors are tiny, and thanks to the design in the rear three-quarters of the car, the blind spots could potentially be huge. Nevertheless I think it’s a very attractive concept with some very unusual lines, especially in the rear, combining for an almost quasi wagon/hatch look. The huge alloy wheels are simply stunning and really contribute to the aggressive stance of the car.

Absolutely massive gullwing doors open to allow ease of ingress and egress while showing off the very interesting interior, with its lined metallic look contrasted by soft blue gauges. According to van der Acker, the “advanced and very sporty cockpit that allows for an exciting personal driving experience as well as provides a relaxed lounge environment to chat and hang out with your friends.” I don’t think it looks comfortable to hang out in, but you never know. Just the same I really do love the flowing tears in the front sheetmetal that the LED headlights peer through, although I’m not as sold on the similar ones in the rear.

Chances of production are pretty much zero, but as I mentioned earlier the Ryuga is chapter two in Mazda’s future. Chapters three and four will be unveiled in Geneva and Tokyo respectively in the coming months, and will “ultimately sow the seeds for a completely new generation of vehicles,” or so continued van der Acker. I interpret this comment and the Ryuga as an indicator of the direction that future production Mazdas will take, and while still sporting, the current trapezoidal corporate grille could use a freshening. I like the Ryuga better than the Nagare, and look forward to what they unveil in Geneva in a few short weeks.