Mazda's lineup evolves with the changing times

It feels like Mazda is about to change... This is because the company, which mainly produces compact cars, announced a large model in Europe in April. It's a three-row SUV called CX-4. This is one of their "Large Product Group" and is already the 80th edition.
“Large product group”, as the name suggests, is a lineup of large models. Following the CX-60, the CX-90 and CX-70 have been announced one after another overseas. I guess it's similar to the CX-5 Aniki. These are Mazda's first big cars in a while.

Mazda used to have a lineup of high-end models such as the Eunos Cosmo equipped with a 3-rotor engine. The world is truly in a bubble economy. It's a product of an era when big, luxurious cars were popular. However, in recent years it has specialized in compact cars. For a while after they stopped selling minivans, the Atenza was positioned as Mazda's high-end model.
Analyzing the reason for this, it seems that the period of activity under the Ford Group had a large role to play. From the late 90s to the 2000s, Mazda was responsible for compact cars, Ford was responsible for mid-size cars, and Jaguar and Land Rover were responsible for large-size cars. Other supercars include Aston Martin and Volvo, which has emphasized design and environmental friendliness. Add in domestic brands such as Lincoln and Mercury, and you have a veritable empire.

So, from this organization of each brand, power source was divided by brand as well as body size. Mazda will be responsible for the development and production of compact engines such as straight-4 engines, Ford will be responsible for medium-displacement engines centered on six cylinders, and Jaguar and Land Rover will be responsible for the development and production of large-displacement engines such as V6s. Aston Martin's 8-cylinder engine is two Ford V12 units connected together. As evidence of this, both engine factories are located near Cologne, Germany.
As a result, Mazda, which was entrusted with the task of creating compact engines, continued to build cars that were suited to the engines. That's why there are only small size cars.

Highly efficient compact engines, Mazda's specialty

However, as times changed, I received an unexpected opportunity. By making the small-displacement engine, one of its strengths, turbocharged and incorporating a motor, it was able to bring out performance that couldn't be matched by an internal combustion engine alone. The same goes for mild hybrids, and if you load up the batteries like a plug-in hybrid, you can expect considerable horsepower.
The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class uses this method, with a displacement of no more than 2 liters. It consists of a 2-liter straight-4 turbo gasoline engine + motor hybrid, and a 4-cylinder turbo gasoline and diesel engine mild hybrid of the same displacement. Even that E-class is like that.

So, with the new weapon in its possession, the motor, Mazda is now able to make better use of its highly efficient compact engine. The more electric motors gain acceptance in the auto industry, the more possibilities there are for four-cylinder engines, or even three- and two-cylinder engines. By the way, the power sources for the CX-4, which is part of the large product group mentioned at the beginning, are a 3-liter straight-four-based plug-in hybrid and a 2-liter straight-80 diesel-based mild hybrid. Even though it is called "large", there is no large displacement V2.5 engine.

Mazda is also working on the power generation rotary engine installed in the MX-30 R-EV, as well as an engine that uses liquid hydrogen as fuel, which is expected to be a promising next-generation power source. From this point of view, you can feel their strong commitment to internal combustion engines. Moreover, the importance of this is understood and appreciated not only in Japan but also by manufacturers around the world.
Once the power source was decided upon and it became possible to demonstrate even higher performance, it became necessary to evolve in another aspect of Mazda's true value, ``design.''

The future of Mazda Design is full of expectations

The recent design trend is retro-modern, and I feel like the Iconic SP, which was a hot topic at the last Mobility Show, perfectly expressed it. When the spotlight shone on the turntable, it caught the attention of many car enthusiasts. Even if the market for SUVs is actually large, this type of sports car design study is necessary. No matter how many SUVs line up, a single cool sports car will get the most attention. Therefore, I think it would be better to publish such design studies constantly like in the past. It's been a while since I last saw it, so my expectations are high.

Having said that, I have recently become personally interested in interior design. This is because the evolution of digital platforms has freed up the design of the dashboard area. Therefore, the entire display can be made into a display like Mercedes, or it can be combined into a large round center display and head-up display like the new MINI. There is no meter cluster. This feels refreshing and feels good.

So we can hear the footsteps of Mazda's transformation. It has a high-output power source with an electric motor attached to a small displacement engine, and a large body. I hope that the design will become an icon. Personally, I think it's an homage to Eunos Cosmo. A luxury sports coupe that adults want. And it has quite a long nose. In any case, I feel that the time is approaching for them to make use of the experience they have cultivated over the years.

Photo by MAZDA

Tatsuya Kushima

Motor journalist and columnist. Currently, he is the media site editor-in-chief and media business producer for the surfing magazine "NALU." She has previously served as editor-in-chief of many men's magazines, golf magazines, car magazines, airline in-flight magazines, etc. In addition to media activities, he is a member of the Japan Car of the Year selection committee, a member of the Japan Cigar Association, a Japan Boat of the Year selection committee, and the creative director of men's golf wear ``The Duke's Golf.''