Mazda: A design of the times

By Neil MacDonald

THERE'S a feeling in the car community that Mazda has lost its way as a design force.

Sure, it still produce good cars, but critics claim the economic rationalists of the 1990s have forced the Japanese carmaker to concentrate more on the bottom line and less on design.

It was hardly surprising, with Ford looking over Mazda's shoulder, worried about its 33.4 percent share in the company and Mazda experiencing its fair share of financial woes.

For Mazda, each car it produced had to sell, this in part is why we ended up with the boxy 121 Metro, replacing the jelly bean original.

Critics say the 121 Metro took away the fun factor that so captured the original.

Another target was the previous 929, a Jaguaresque car with swooping curves and a real presence on the road.

Its replacement was a more conservative, upright 929 that was criticized for looking too much like any other car on the road.

Again, the critics said the days of Mazda's styling flare and fun were over ... it was only a matter of time before the MX-5, MX-6 and RX7 succumbed to the power of the conservatives.

But is this really the case?

Speak to Mazda designer guru Tom Matano and he'll tell you that he believes Mazda will soon recapture the company's design successes of the early 1990s.

That means car lovers can once again look forward to cars with the same design passion that exists in the MX-5, MX-6, RX7 and 929.

Matano said next-generation interpretations of these cars would still have strong design signatures that would let buyers know their origins, but also maintain a flare for style.

So, although the boxy 121 Metro and new 626 follow Mazda Japan's present train of thought, Matano believes this may not always be the case.

When Mazda unveils the new MX-5 at the Tokyo motor show in October, you'll be able to gauge first-hand whether the company is on the right track.

Matano says the new MX-5 has strong ties with the current model.

Although the front will be longer, engines more powerful and the exterior door panels more sculpted, you'll know it's an MX-5, he said.

Matano said the new MX-5 had to answer the requirements of a wide audience.

He said in Japan the average MX-5 customer was about 21 years old and had definite ideas about how the MX-5 should look.

"Whereas in the U.S., the average age is 38 years old," he said. "There is a big difference in customer base.

"Also in U.S. if you go to Miata (MX-5) club events only two cars out of 150 will be modified.

"However, go to Japan and if you have 300 cars, only two will be kept standard.

"From the outset, we knew that to come up with a base model next time around would be a very difficult task to do."

In the case of the RX7, Matano believes the present generation may well be the last in the form of a high-priced front-engined rear-drive sports car.

"Styling wise, I don't think that in another 10 years it will be a front-engine rear-drive sports car of that nature to survive into the next generation," he said.

Cost and the company's direction would dictate the style of the future RX7, he said.

The concept RX-01 car, based on the RX7, may give some hints to a future RX7.

Matano believes the present generation RX7 would still look good in 20 years time.

"It will still be fresh," he said.

Matano believes there is still scope in the company for individual, yet stylish buyer-friendly designs.

He was speaking last week in Melbourne during a flying visit to Australia as a guest for the Victorian Design Awards.

The bespectacled stylist, who spent six years in General Motors-Holden's styling studio in Australia in the 1980s, is today regarded as one of the leading forces of car design and the father of Mazda's styling revolution in the late 1980s.

He is the executive vice president of Mazda's innovative Californian Research and Development of America center in Irvine, California.

Matano admits Mazda Japan may have taken a wrong turn, away from its early styling successes.

"A lot of our credit is for our styling and breakthrough design leadership in 1993 and 1994," he said.

"We got a lot of following around the world in that every car company had some elements of our design on their cars."

Today, Mazda has handed the "designer" mantle over to Chrysler in the United States but, Matano believes once the company has "reengineered" itself, it would again be a designer force in the 21st century.

However, he says the company has a lot of economic housekeeping to do before it can reestablish its design credentials.

At least with Matano on its side, Mazda has a chance to prove the critics wrong.