Design

Every part of the first-ever 2024 Mazda CX-90 is intended to help connect the car and driver. Each piece plays a role in creating the most thoughtfully designed, performance-oriented, technologically advanced vehicle we’ve ever built.

Thinking about a new Mazda crossover? See what sets the similarly-sized MX-30 EV and CX-30 apart, and discover which might be right for you.

Today, cork is featured in our first all-electric vehicle, the Mazda MX-30. Beyond the importance of its low environmental impact, using cork has an especially significant meaning to Mazda as the sustainable material also pays homage to our origin story.

As Mazda's design language has evolved to express a new form of elegance rooted in Japanese aesthetics, Mazda’s designers focused on creating an SUV design that transcends the segment.

CX-30 embodies traditional Japanese design and architecture that is bound to inspire.

Mazda's first-ever CX-30 crossover SUV combines the toughness of an SUV with a supple, flowing beauty that stands out in a crowd.

Intended to capture and express the spirit of Mazda, the Mazda Essence Line and Motorsports Line apparel collections further convey Mazda’s commitment to compelling design and careful craftsmanship.

Creating a new car is about more than just designing the shape—it’s about approaching every detail with passion.

Soul Red Crystal expresses vibrancy and energy with an increased depth and gloss, while exemplifying the beauty and sophistication.

Embracing the aspiration infused into the original 1989 MX-5 Miata, the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary represents and celebrates three decades of the MX-5’s legendary history.

Mazda is on a mission to use cars as a medium to introduce traditional Japanese beauty to the world. Leaning on their rich heritage as pioneers in world-class automotive design, Mazda designers bring profound depth to their vehicles’ design, resulting in a pure, essential beauty that raises the car to the level of fine art.

These concepts give a glimpse on the future design of Mazda vehicles, with most evolving gorgeously into production models. Explore the evolution of Mazda’s KODO Design through Mazda design concept vehicles.

It is one thing to produce a singular piece of art, but it takes an intense mastery of skills to bring the precision of beautiful design to mass production.

The all-new Mazda3 brings to life the next generation of Mazda’s KODO Design through sense of elegance and sophistication. In designing the hatchback and sedan versions of the car, the development teams were inspired to design each with the energy each vehicle portrays.

The Mazda design team is obsessed with creating the ultimate form of beauty. They believe the Mazda3’s artistic forms can only be shaped by the power and precision of human hands truly.

The all-new Mazda3 sedan and hatchback adopt a matured KODO Design language that works to embody the essence of Japanese aesthetics.

Pride and passion at every step of production - that’s the art of Mazda manufacturing.

KODO Design has been refined to a single “one motion” curve, referred to as “The Speed of Light,” as it uses a subtle concave shape to illustrate dimension and how light plays against the sheetmetal.

Evocative of bespoke horse saddles, alluring Nappa leather undergoes minimal treatment to produce a purer experience with unparalleled softness and richness of color around the interior.

From the first moment Mazda’s designers put pen to paper, they strive to create an emotional connection between car and driver.

Not all reds are created equal. See how we developed our most captivating color ever. Learn about the unique process of developing Mazda’s Soul Red Crystal.

With colors and accents inspired by the beauty of traditional kimonos, UltraSuede complements aesthetics, adding functionality to the equation.

Mazda carefully balances the natural aesthetic of Sen wood alongside the vehicle’s other premium features to create a stunning visual experience.

Mazda has always approached car making differently. Their designers and engineers are more like artisans, who seek mastery of their skills.

Taking an already widely-successful and acclaimed sedan, Mazda engineers and designers worked to move Mazda6 closer to the ideal state of perfection.

Celebrating the freshest, most creative and most beautiful concept cars, The Mazda VISION COUPE was named the “Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year” at the 33rd Festival Automobile International in Paris.

In addition to the upscale interior of Mazda6, the same human-centric design principles Mazda applies to all of its vehicles continues in its flagship sedan.

Using authentic and high-quality materials to enhance the experience, Mazda6 Signature offers plenty to “ooh” and “ahh” about.

After two model years of CX-9 Signature standing alone, it is finally being joined by yet another “Signature” Mazda—the Mazda6 Signature.

Everyone knows that the second row typically provides modest creature comforts, insufficient legroom and seat comfort that’s almost an afterthought. Except with the Mazda CX-5.

Takashi Okamura, Color & Trim Design Group Manager at Mazda’s Production Design Studio in Hiroshima, tells us the secrets of making your car feel every inch a Mazda.

When Mazda designed the CX-5 crossover SUV, the goal was to create a crafted interior with a sharp focus on how the driver and passengers perceive comforts and create a unique connection with the vehicle.

While oftentimes one person receives credit as the design chief, it takes a long cast of characters to not only design a car but also drive its inspiration. Take, for example, the fourth-generation MX-5 Miata that went on sale in 2015.

Mazda designers shared the goal of making a car that looked and felt uniquely Japanese, yet it was globally relevant. Mission: Accomplished.

With the last major design element of the fourth-generation MX-5 decided, it underwent a few subtle tweaks at the end of 2013 in preparation for production and its world debut.

What the 2016 MX-5 did, perhaps better than any Mazda that had come before it, was lay a groundwork of objectives that had to be met without compromise.

Clay modelers bring a two-dimensional car design to life using their hands. Especially in the Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV.

Mazda developed its KODO – Soul of Motion design language to capture the moment when energy turns into movement.

Keiichi Okamoto, a creative design expert, played a key role in the development of the original Soul Red Metallic and Machine Gray Metallic, colors that symbolize KODO Design.

The ‘Refined Toughness’ concept of blending the strong presence of an SUV with high quality resonated with Takanori Tsubaki, who oversaw the exterior design.

“The product embodies the ideal expressed in the sketch. Everything we did was an effort to realize that goal,” said Tatsunori Iwahara, an interior designer.

The goal of Mazda design is to make the brand irreplaceable to its customers - offering them something beautiful to which they feel a special attachment.

Through KODO – Soul of Motion design, the barely restrained power of such movement is caught in every Mazda vehicle’s lines and curves.

For Mazda, a car isn't simply a mass of metal but more like a living creature and SEMA offers us the opportunity to bring it to life.

For the interior trim of the all-new Mazda CX-9 Signature, we partnered with Fujigen Guitars to source the same Rosewood they use on the fretboards of their guitars.

A sweeping single piece of aluminum adorns the dashboard, emphasizing the width, as if it was a sharpened knife. See the design inspirations in the all-new Mazda CX-9 here.

The intricacies of this hand stitch add a unique dimension to the steering wheel of the CX-9 Signature. Making your drive that much more special, and enjoyable.

Our ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’ design philosophy is reflected in CX-9. ‘KODO’ captures the powerful beauty seen in an animal pouncing or a human leaping into action.

By offering an experience customers naturally want to seek out, Mazda can deliver a premium experience that customers expect and deserve.

Even as a small car company, Mazda uses more clay for hand-crafted models than any other automaker.

Osamu Fujiki, an expert fabricator with Mazda’s design team, creates new value by using different materials to show off the beautiful forms that are the foundation of interior cabin design. As he works with the ever more beautiful and innovative forms, he gives a unique aesthetic identity to the cabin space through an ingenious mix of elegance and playfulness.

Norio Terauchi, the Mazda design team’s clay modeler, sees the designer’s paper sketch and recognizes his vision, allowing him to create a three-dimensional object with his outstanding skills. That is the moment when what was merely an idea gains a distinct identity. Terauchi infuses a soul into the form as he sculpts the clay.

With his spray gun in hand Kazumitsu Tamai stands facing a beautifully finished model. His sharpened senses spot the subtlest of color changes across a perfectly harmonized physical design. With highly efficient movements, he paints color over color until he achieves a perfectly uniform finish. Tamai is another key member of the outstanding modeling team at Mazda design. And though his meticulously controlled hand movements he adds vibrant brilliance to the 3D hard models he works on.

The clay model played no small part in this process, and Mazda would have none less than a master of clay modeling to help develop the award-winning car.

Fresh from unveiling the 2017 MX-5 RF, Mazda was recognized by automotive journalists from around the world during the annual World Car of the Year Awards presentation at the New York International Auto Show.

The CX-3 may be a triumph of Mazda’s acclaimed KODO design, but there’s also beauty in the smallest details. Four up-and-coming designers behind the company’s latest compact crossover take us on a macro tour of their latest creation.