Mazda Motonari RX: 2007 LA Show Design Challenge

Apart from your “everyday” production vehicles and concept car premieres, the LA Show also hosts one of the craziest design contests in the world, the “Design Los Angeles”. Entering its fourth year, the Design Los Angeles provides designers and carmakers unlimited freedom to create the most radical and wackiest propositions you’ll ever see on paper. This year’s contest is themed “2057 Robocars”. We’ll be showing the entries throughout the day but we though we’d start off with one of the weirdest designs we’ve seen, the Mazda Motonari RX. Named after a legendary Japanese warrior Mori Motonari, Mazda’s proposition looks like the love child between a Decepticon and Ripley’s Alien monster. -Press release and images after the jump

Mazda Motonari RX

The Motonari RX, named after legendary Japanese warrior Mori Motonari, non-invasively integrates the driver with the vehicle making each indistinguishable from the other. A driving suit serves as the primary interface between the occupant and the vehicle, which contains millions of microscopic actuators functioning as a haptic envelope. This allows the driver to experience the road psycho-somatically, receiving electrical stimulation to specific muscle groups.

The entire structure of the vehicle is comprised of a 100 percent re-prototypable, carbon nano-tube/shape memory alloy weave with a photovoltaic coating. This enables programmable tensiometry and fluid movement while insuring efficient energy transfer to the in-wheel electro-static nanomotors.

The four omni-wheels allow 360 degree movement. Acceleration and direction is determined by two armrest mounted control points. Occupant positioning controls the effectiveness of cornering and is comparable to street luge maneuvering in appearance.

Mazda R&D of North America

Designer: Matthew Cunningham

Mazda Taiki: Tokyo Show Concept Previews New 1.6-liter Rotary Engine

To our misfortune, Mazda won’t exhibit a pre-preview version to the RX-7 successor at the Tokyo Show later on in October. Well at least not something that comes close to a production version. Agreed; Mazda may support that the Taiki Concept reflects one possible direction for the front-engine, rear-drive sports car of the future, but this is way too far ahead of our time.

The Taiki is the forth concept in the Nagare design theme flowing the in the footsteps of the Nagare, Ryuga, and Hakaze concept vehicles. Even more importantly though, the Taiki introduces Mazda’s next generation Rotary Engine dubbed 16X. Compared to RX8’s RENESIS unit, the 16X features an enlarged capacity (1.6-liters instead of 1.3-liters), a direct injection system and aluminum side housing. -Press release and more pics after the jump

Mazda Taiki

Mazda Taiki reflects one possible direction for a future generation of Mazda sports cars aimed at helping create a sustainable society. The fourth concept car in the Nagare design series, Mazda Taiki further evolves the “flow” theme to establish a breathtaking presence that clearly distinguishes it as the next in the series, and which visually expresses the atmosphere – called taiki in Japanese – that wraps the Earth in its protective mantle.

The basic proportions begin with the stretched coupe form of a front-engine rear-wheel-drive layout, the short overhangs, and the liberating feel of an all-glass canopy. The challenge to create “a design that visually expresses the flow of air” was inspired by the image of a pair of Hagoromo – the flowing robes that enable a celestial maiden to fly in Japanese legend – floating down from the sky.

Inspired by Japanese koinobori – the decorative “climbing carp streamers”– the notion of creating an Air-tube became the concept word for the interior design. In accordance, from the dashboard and seats down to the door trim, the interior space creates the dynamic sensation that the flow of the wind is being visually depicted.

Centering around the performance rotary engine sports packaging that is synonymous with the Mazda name, technologies introduced for the Mazda Taiki include the next-generation RENESIS (rotary engine 16X), which sets new standards for environmental and driving performance, a front-engine rear-drive layout, a unique 2-seat configuration, and Mazda’s rotary sports package, which conveys an image of lightness. The effect integrates the design theme perfectly to realize outstanding aerodynamic performance.

Next Generation RENESIS (Rotary Engine 16X)

In developing the next-generation RENESIS, Mazda made a thoroughgoing revision of engine dimensions including the trochoid rotor housing, adopting a longer stroke and larger displacement of 1600cc (800cc x 2) aimed to raise thermal efficiency and boost torque at all engine speeds. By employing the Hydrogen RE design policy of a direct injection system and aluminum side housing, as well as various other measures, we are further promoting the rotary engine’s merits of light weight and compact size.

Mazda To Show RX-7 Prototype At The Tokyo Show?

A Mazda Rotary Engine fan website has released three scanned images of a coupe concept from an unnamed Japanese car magazine which supports that the rotary-engine powered car will make its debut at next month’s Tokyo Motor Show. We’ve no idea whether these images are official or if they’re just magazine renderings, but it’s pretty clear that the 2door prototype is inspired from Mazda’s trio of concepts, Nagare, Ryuga and Kabura. But could this concept be previewing the long rumoured fourth-generation RX-7? If the Japanese folks aren’t pulling our leg, we certainly think so. With the Tokyo Show just around the corner, we’ll find out soon enough. -Click “Read More…” below for more images

Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Rotarynews