Retaining consistency even at times of seismic change and transformation has always been a signature feature of Mazda, a brand which over the years has managed to innovate and reinvent itself while keeping a tight grip on its identity. The transition towards an era that will inevitably be more “electric”, as well as towards a truly global market presence, represents a new chapter in which creativity and that very same proverbial consistency will be truly put to the test. The CX-6e embodies the vision of this delicate transition.
Purest vision form
It is not Mazda’s first fully electric car, nor even the first created on the back of the fruitful collaboration with Chinese partner Changan, which has already produced the Mazda 6e saloon: but whereas the latter, the spiritual successor to the Mazda6, had to carry forward a legacy while introducing many new elements, with the CX-6e the team led by Jo Stenuit, Design Director at Mazda Motor Europe, has been able to give shape to its vision of the near future in its purest form.
Bolder and progressive
Designed at the European style centre in collaboration with the Japanese team, the CX-6e was conceived as a global project, though targeting primarily the Chinese and European markets. “It was important to create a design strong enough for both markets”, explains Jo Stenuit. “Chinese customers often expect a more futuristic and technological design language, which is why the car is more “edgy”, bolder and more progressive than what people normally expect from Mazda”.
Emotions and experiences reinterpreted
This intention is apparent first and foremost in the proportions, those of a mid-to-large Suv that highlights the sporty nature without over-stating it, evoking cues inspired by European grand tourers, with a long bonnet and an interior that seems to taper towards the rear, athletic yet graceful. And without any desire to imitate a specific model, as Bahram Partaw, Lead Exterior Designer, points out: “What interests us is the feeling an object manages to generate. We always try to capture an emotion or an experience and reinterpret it through our own design language. The CX-6e is clearly futuristic and technological, yet it retains elegance and a grand tourer spirit through its almost coupé-like proportions”.
A tauter language
An approach that is immediately apparent in the closed front end, the most radical ever created by Mazda, with its suspended light signature and the clean design that breaks with many conventions of the past. While continuing to pursue the fundamental principles of Kodo Design, the CX-6e introduces “a tauter, sharper and more technological language that pushes Kodo into territories we had never ventured into before”, Partaw continues.
The catamaran as a source of inspiration
The result is a silhouette that remains elegant and visually light while conveying presence and solidity. The quest for this balance stems from an unusual source of inspiration: the catamaran. “For me, it perfectly represents the relationship between power and lightness”, explains the designer. “When you’re looking for a strong road presence, you usually end up creating heavy volumes. We, on the other hand, wanted to maintain a sense of elegance and slenderness”.
(Full article in A&D no. 279)
