@Geneva: Mazda Shinari Concept

The Japanese word shinari describes the power, suppleness and forceful resilience seen when objects of high tensile strength, such as steel or bamboo, are twisted or bent. It can also refer to the appearance of a person or animal as it flexibly transforms its body to generate fast movement. It is this movement that inspired Mazda’s designers to convey ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’ in the form of SHINARI, its first KODO design concept.

The Mazda SHINARI is a four-door, four-seat sports coupe concept. Its form suggests the powerful and tense movement of a lean and supple animal’s body with highly developed muscles. The exterior form of SHINARI incorporates lines and surfaces with subtle twists that are full of tension to express agile and powerful movement and convey Mazda’s new design language ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’. Thanks to the tension conveyed by its surfaces, Mazda’s SHINARI looks ready to leap at any second. The design communicates the sudden release of pent-up energy while showing beautiful and supple movement.

Mazda’s designers focused on the delicate and accurate control of all of the car’s exterior elements in order to balance the car’s organic forms and express SHINARI's message. The front fender is a signature element of the car and it is one of SHINARI’s most significant features. As is the floating bar – which links the grille with the headlights – and expresses speed in three dimensions.

The styling is also highly functional. Aerodynamic performance was a key priority for Mazda’s design team. At the front and rear of the car, the centre of each fascia has been designed to channel and then optimize airflow along SHINARI’s underbody. The flared line which visually connects the front bumper with the side sills and the rear bumper fulfills a similar role, directing airflow along the car’s flanks, and further contributing to the coupe’s aerodynamic performance.

Credits: wilswong