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Vehicle design is unique at Mazda: It begins with a vision and a philosophy, which modellers express in a three-dimensional form, creating sculptures in clay, wood or metal. This is the inspiration for the designers to start sketching the actual cars.
Professional clay modellers at Mazda’s design centres in Japan, Europe and the U.S. interpret the designer’s sketches, striving to understand their intentions and translate them into a scale model. This is followed by intense debate about the model, which is adjusted over and over until the design is finalised down to the last detail. In short, it’s a lengthy, painstaking process characterised by constant dialogue between the exterior designer and the clay modeller.
The process may not seem different to other manufacturers, except that Mazda puts far more emphasis on the human touch and the art of clay modelling.
Maintaining the clay modelling tradition means even the smallest changes can be made by hand. For example, to see how the light reflects on the surface, the designers apply a reflective foil to the model and then place a lined board opposite to examine and manipulate how the reflections behave.
From vision to reality, shaped by hand
Clay is the perfect material to convey the emotion and detail that Mazda wants to put into the surfaces of its vehicles. It requires sensitivity, a level of hand-eye coordination that a machine simply cannot deliver. Of course Mazda also uses digital design tools where appropriate, but clay modelling remains essential because of what it alone can express. And that is Mazda’s formula for exceptional design quality.
“From our perspective, a form made sincerely and conscientiously by hand receives a soul,” said Andreas Feussner, Head of Modelling at Mazda’s European design studio. “Kodo wouldn’t work without the human touch, and we are lucky to have some of the best clay modellers in the world.”
In fact, three of the clay modellers at the Mazda headquarters in Hiroshima carry the title of takumi, the Japanese term referring to the highest level a craftsman can attain. Associated with extraordinary precision, it normally takes a person around 20 years to earn this title.
One takumi can spend 6 months building a single 1:1 clay sculpture, which usually weighs around 1,500kg - more than the average compact car.
Using their hands and intuition, they shape the material, a special mixture of wax, oil, pigment and aggregate that has been warmed to around 60°C to soften it, into the model of a vehicle. With a focus on Kodo’s sophisticated simplicity and sensuous beauty, they give the form a soul.
Mazda CX-30 Specifications:
▪ Length/width/height/wheelbase - 4,395/1,795/1,540/2,655 mm
▪ Ground clearance - 175 mm
▪ Kerb weight - 1,320-1,471 kg
▪ Cargo volume - 422-430 litre
- Skyactiv-D 1.8
▪ Engine - 1.8-litre (1,759 cc), 4-cylinder in-line, turbo diesel
▪ Max output - 116 hp (85 kW) at 4,000 rpm
▪ Max torque - 270 Nm at 1,600-2,600 rpm
▪ Transmission - 6-speed manual/6-speed automatic; FWD/AWD
▪ 0-100 km/h manual FWD/AWD - 10.8/11.6 seconds
▪ 0-100 km/h automatic FWD/AWD - 12.6/13.5 seconds
▪ Top speed manual FWD/AWD - 183/179 km/h
▪ Top speed automatic FWD/AWD - 183/179 km/h
▪ Fuel consumption manual FWD/AWD - 5.1/5.7 l/100km combined
▪ Fuel consumption automatic FWD/AWD - 6.0/6.6 l/100km combined
- Skyactiv-G 2.0
▪ Engine - 2.0-litre (1,998 cc), 4-cylinder in-line, petrol
▪ Max output - 122 hp (90 kW) at 6,000 rpm
▪ Max torque - 213 Nm at 4,000 rpm
▪ Transmission - 6-speed manual/6-speed automatic; FWD/AWD
▪ 0-100 km/h manual FWD/AWD - 10.6/11.1 seconds
▪ 0-100 km/h automatic FWD/AWD - 11.2/11.7 seconds
▪ Top speed manual FWD/AWD - 186/182 km/h
▪ Top speed automatic FWD/AWD - 186/182 km/h
▪ Fuel consumption manual FWD/AWD - 6.2/6.8 l/100km combined
▪ Fuel consumption automatic FWD/AWD - 6.6/7.3 l/100km combined
- Skyactiv-X
▪ Engine - 2.0-litre (1,998 cc), 4-cylinder in-line, petrol
▪ Max output - 180 hp (132 kW) at 6,000 rpm
▪ Max torque - 224 Nm at 3,000 rpm
▪ Transmission - 6-speed manual, FWD/AWD
▪ 0-100 km/h manual FWD/AWD - 8.5/8.9-9.0 seconds
▪ 0-100 km/h automatic FWD/AWD - 8.8-8.9/9.2 seconds
▪ Top speed - 204 km/h
▪ Fuel consumption manual FWD/AWD - 5.9/6.5 l/100km combined
▪ Fuel consumption automatic FWD/AWD - 6.5/7.0 l/100km combined
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CGI Snake by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: chriszabriskie.com/divider/
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/
12 сен 2019
