Mazda has receved the “Red Dot: Best of the Best” prize for the Mazda MX-5 RF and its KODO – Soul of Motion design. Launched in Europe earlier this year, the RF (retractable fastback) edition of Mazda’s legendary roadster repeats the success of the soft-top version, which captured the same honour in 2015.
“The current MX-5 generation was an exercise in innovation on both a design and a technological level to uphold more than a quarter century of rich Jinba Ittai driver-and-car-as one tradition. The RF takes this a step further, deepening the ownership experience with the fastback styling and flexibility of a highly unique retractable roof. The result is an undeniably elegant rendition of Jinba Ittai in an MX-5 for all seasons and situations”, said Mazda Europe’s design director Kevin Rice.
The RF features a three-piece power retractable hardtop whose 13-second opening or closing sequence is a spectacle in itself. It thus combines all-weather coupé practicality with the hair-in-the-wind spirit that inspired the original spider version. The jury of 39 designers, professors and journalists bestowed “Best of the Best” honours – reserved for the most exceptional designs – on only 102 of the 5,500-plus entries to the 2017 Red Dot product design contest.
