Unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show, the Mazda CX-4 further evolves Mazda’s KODO design language, which focuses on expressing the power and vitality of a wild animal, while shaving away all but the essential design elements to produce a look of dignity and elegance. The exterior design is one that will turn heads, even on crowded city streets. It exudes an air of irresistible charm that fills the viewer with a desire to own and drive one. Once sitting in the driver’s seat, all five senses immediately register the modern feel and rich feature set of the interior design. It aims to deliver Mazda’s unique driving pleasure and a fresh sense of vitality to daily life. Overall, it represents a new level of car design inspired by thinking that goes beyond conventional notions of the class.
With “striking traction form” as its theme, the exterior design creates an expression of the car’s inherent energy transforming into drive power, which is in turn transferred in sure and powerful fashion from the centre of the body and accelerates out toward the tyres.
Starting with the unique proportions of its large diameter tyres and flowing profile of its compact cabin, the Mazda CX-4 achieves a form that conveys the powerful stance of having all four wheels firmly gripping the road and a low centre of gravity, all while maintaining ample ground clearance. Body surfaces that express volume and flowing motion without relying on character lines create the appearance of fender highlights that flow towards the centre of the tyres. The end result is a look of great stability and powerful forward momentum that gives birth to a radical new look, including the sleek cabin that reminds the viewer of a sporty, stylish coupe.
Uncompromising effort was dedicated to crafting everything from the Signature Wing that runs from the front grille to the headlamps, the roof rails and aluminium wheels, to the smallest parts throughout. Each part has the lustrous look of machined metal and is highly detailed.
The interior design aims to deliver a rich, modern environment that will create a solid bond between the driver and car throughout the various scenes the customer experiences in daily life. A unique atmosphere greets the customer the instant they open the door. Attention to the shape, material and feeling of every detail is aimed at creating forms that speak of high quality and elegance. The result is a relaxing cabin environment with a pleasing sense of tension that brings a burst of energy to the driver’s spirit.
The adoption of an Electrical Parking Brake (EPB) contributes to the floor console’s clean, flowing design. The shifter knob, commander control, and EPB switch are laid out on the top where the driver can operate them with natural movements. A shutter-style lid covers a pair of large cup holders. Closing the lid creates a flat surface that extends from the controls to the rear section of the armrest. At the rear, the console is tucked inward below the air-conditioning louvers to increase the amount of space available for the rear seat occupants’ feet, making it easier to move and providing greater comfort.
The smooth expression and richness of the light and shadow play produced by the overall interior design is complemented by the look of high quality and relaxing comfort achieved by the seat design. The seats for the CX-4 deliver a sense of speed, while also being shaped to wrap snugly around the occupant’s body. It’s a design that suits the CX-4’s combination of SUV and coupe characteristics.
The lineup of seven colors available for the Mazda CX-4 aims to highlight its advanced styling. Focusing on Soul Red Metallic and Radiant Ebony as the variations of red theme colors, the lineup also includes the four chic monotone colors Ceramic Metallic, Sonic Silver Metallic, Crystal White Pearl Mica, and Jet Black Mica, as well as the fashionable Blue Reflex Mica color.
There are four choices of coordinated interior colors available. These include Pure White with black, Deep Red with black, Sand Beige with black, and black monotone. The newly developed Deep Red color is a brand new interior color with a calm and rich look, and a sophisticated tone that never gets boring, even after years of use. Regardless which combination the customer chooses, the inside of the pillars and ceiling use black material.
The CX-4’s unique proportions, which feature ample ground clearance combined with low overall vehicle height, realize appealing styling and self-assured capability on any type of road. At the same time, it represents packaging that provides these features without compromising any of the functions that customers truly need. The development team performed a thorough and detailed analysis of all the body movements related to opening the door, entering the vehicle, driving and exiting the vehicle, as well as related actions such as stowing and removing luggage, or placing personal items in compartments.
The results are reflected in the structures and shapes of each of the car’s parts, which are all designed to operate without causing any discomfort, unpleasantness or inconvenience. In addition, the designs for the driver’s field of vision, driving posture and instrumentation all use the latest iteration of Mazda’s ergonomic Human-Machine Interface (HMI). The aim is to support the driver in feeling reassured as he or she heads off to explore new worlds with a light touch of the foot.
Sound good? Here’s the catch. Mazda doesn’t have any immediate plans to sell the CX-4 anywhere else but in China. We’re sure eventually we’ll see Mazda open up doors elsewhere, but until then, all we have is photos.
