azzaboynt

http://www.gizmag.com.au/go/6518/

Interesting to see that they are talking rotors still. Looks slightly over the top but personally, I like the concept.

Revolver

Interesting. Thanks for the link .

Bits of it work but on the whole it's a bit too contrived for me. And the 'face' reminds me of Jar Jar Binks.

Don't like the profile much either.

labrat

I think the fun in reading these articles is the almost throwaway lines. The design guy says that this is a direction that Mazda could be looking at in say 2020, but the next Geneva motor show (March 2007) will show the elements that will be included in the next models. Based on the first appearance of the RX-8 concept in 2001 (and release in 2003), this could suggest that Geneva might give the first real hints about what the next generation RX-8 will look like. Note that both the Senku concept and this result of the new design language both feature 4 seater coupes. Regardless of sporadic comments in this forum, this could suggest that the success of the RX-8 in the marketplace has cemented the 4 seat coupe in the Mazda consciousness, at least for their icon vehicles. A Kabura-like coupe will look after the boy racers, with a next-gen RX-8 building on the demographic of the current model.

Whatever people say about the 8, as far as Brisbane is concerned it is by far and away the most common sports car on the road. In this regard, it has to be a smashing success. We have discussed in various threads what we would buy next, and the general consensus is that there's nothing out there which offers the combination of value and performance. Mazda would be idiots to let this customer base slip through its fingers, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they have in mind.

Revolver

Agree with all of that Labby. Unfortunately, car companies often do dumb things.

Personally, I'd be happy with an evolutionary revision of the current shape but with more mechanical and equipment upgrades (e.g. a FI motor , some proper oil gauges, perhaps an MP3 player function for the music buffs, etc).

I think the essential formula of the current car is right. It just needs enhancement.

yellowrx8inoz

As a long-range concept it's definitely over the top but I like it too.

Can see how a next-gen RX8 might move towards this concept (once it's turned into a practical manufacturing proposition) with possibility of a higher rear (shooting brake?) that moight give more rear seat head/leg room and a larger, deeper boot, with some of that space needed for fuel cells if it's a hydrogen rotary...?

takahashi

It looks like a Nike shoe I had a few years ago.

Now I have a shoe to match it. Please Mazda let me drive it??

Revolver

That's one of the elements that I really dislike. I've never liked shooting brakes. From Mini's to MG's to Z3's - they always look poxy and have no place in the realm of sports cars.

I don't see the need for the rear seats or boot to be any bigger. The rear seats are already very generous for a 4 seater coupe - just check out the competition. As for the boot, it was partly BMW customers whinging about the boot space in 5's and 7's that got us the taxiback hump abomination.

Every car is a compromise. I just hope Mazda retains the sharp focus of the 8 as opposed to falling for the bigger is better mantra.

BTW, have you seen how bloody big the new VE is. Have a look at it next to a current model Falcon. They're freaking huge.

labrat

You can either have fuel cells providing electric power directly to electric motors (by electrochemical conversion of hydrogen to water), or by burning hydrogen in an internal combustion engine (eg rotary). Either way, the hydrogen has to be stored in a tank, and due to the low energy density, it's going to be a biggy. I think that the current consensus is that hydrogen is going to be a long-term proposition, if at all. If Mazda can't tweak the rotary by conventional engineering to be much more economical, then the idea floated in the Senku concept (hybrid battery/rotary) could be a possibility. I wouldn't hold my breath on FI in regular production (although MazdaSpeed could take it up)

The engineering will be at least as interesting as the styling.

Revolver

I'm not. After the FD, I'm sure Mazda are pretty scared of elevating the RX8 into $75K plus territory, which is probably what we'd pay to cover the development of a factory FI car.

Probably one of the major reasons the car is so popular is that it's great value and has enough power for most buyers. I doubt Mazda's gonna throw more money at it just to satisfy the enthusiast fringe and thereby jack up the price for all the joe blow consumers who couldn't give a toss if it had more power or not but would definitely look elsewhere if asked to fork out $15-20K more.

I also doubt that it would work with differing power levels at two price points. Inevitably the lower powered car would suffer from image problems, much like the auto does now.

As for MazdaSpeed, according to the rumour mill, until some of the old tossers at Mazda Australia put themselves out to pasture, we won't have the option of ticking those boxes at our local dealer, even if it is available O/S.

auzoom

I dont get that. When you take into account shipping and exchange rate, we pay the most of just about any country for this car. In the US you can pick up a brand spanker pov pack for < $30000AUD, Germany its $48000AUD, UK is the closest at $53000AUD.

When you can get an Aftermarket kit for 12k. I honestly can see FI based RX-8's going past the 65k mark.

That depends of course on if they want to drop the price of the non-FI versions or bring them in at a premium. Personally I will place a few $$$ on a half/half, price drop of the non-FI models and then add 5-7k for the FI model.

Andrew

Rotor Convert

Wow...marketing hype!! The guy that wrote that piece had a few too many fruit tingles for my liking. Car looks silmilar in the back to the back of one of those trendy cycling helmets!! I know the future brings changes in design direction but the Kabura is wayyy better than this one!

Now why don't they let a woman get her hands on the crayons and clay and design a car...no not like the Taurus I promise but give us a chance....all this crapola about creating movement when the car is still.....OMG pleeeasse is this guy for real?

Nope for me the retro styling and committee type design of the 8 makes me like it. There aren't as many as Brisvegas but they stand out and they look nice! I will buy another one when this one is up for lease termination.

Revolver

Basic economics Andrew. Fixed costs have to be spread through a smaller market. Plus an even more basic law - they will always charge what they can get away with in each market.

Tariffs coming down might help of course but I'd still be very surprised if Mazda were prepared to sell a FI RX8 for less than $70K. Add onroads and some extras and $75K isn't a huge flight of fantasy. A factory backed option is always much more attractive to most punters than mucking about with aftermarket mods of that extent.

I also can't see the market being big enough to carry a NA and FI model range. It'll be one or the other. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Mazda have introduced turbos to the 3 and 6 - the base market for those models is big enough to carry the spread of powerplants.

Revolver

I agree. Women seem to get relegated to choosing swatches for the interior design. It's still a very male-dominated area of the industry. Hell, who are we kidding - the whole industry is still male-dominated.

'Er indoors is a qualified industrial designer but when she came out of uni it was next to impossible to get a job in heavy manufacturing if some bloke was applying for it. Women usually got relegated to homewares and stuff like that.

However, as more female designers gain experience and acceptance, I think we'll see some exciting changes, especially in functional design. Although it's a bit of a generalisation, women are usually less susceptible to ego-centric wanking when they approach a design task. I see the same dichotomy in architects, who I have to deal with professionally. It's no surprise that the bigger, uglier monstrosities are the creation of men with hand on dick rather than brain in gear.

labrat

I never read the words. I look at the design and decide whether or not I like it. All the words tell me is that the guy has been to university some time in the last 20 years and absorbed a whole lot of the post-modernist crap that passes for intellectual discourse. There is software that generates this sort of copy. You have to have words to go with the pictures.

Concept cars are part of the complex ritual mating dance that goes on between car manufacturers and the consumer. They work at a number of levels: they keep the brand in the public eye (as witness the discussions on this forum). They encourage feedback from the marketplace (consumers & dealers) as to how a revised model might sell.

At the end of the day, the final arbiters of style are the bean counters - how much will it cost to make and how many can we sell? The words the styling guys use are as much to influence the bean counters as they are to fill the columns of motoring journalists.

As to whether women would do a better job than men in idustrial design, I wouldn't dare to touch that question with a barge pole. I thought there were women involved in car design anyhow - what about the chick in the glasses and the white coat on TV who made the orgasmic clay model of the Ford Focus. (Hmm, do I have a thing about chicks in glasses and white coats - I wonder why that is?)

Revolver

I said change, as in different, not necessarily better.

There's no doubt a specialist **** site that caters for your particular fetish Labby.

BTW, have been meaning to say that I like the Xmas hat.

labrat

Check out this hotty!!

yellowrx8inoz

Andrew I assume you meant you CAN'T see FI-based RX-8s going beyond $65K?

In which case I agree - the last NB MX-5 was a turbo (the SE) and was only $4K more than the base model from memory - although the turbo set-up was a mild one, it included suspension and transmission changes and was regarded as really good value over the base model. It was also a total surprise that Mazda did this, at the time.

The Japan base market for the 8 is sizeable and the economies there will be to our advantage. Maybe they'll produce an FI RX-8 at run-out, like they did with the NB MX-5.... would be a mild upgrade, but a good base car for further development!

auzoom

Ahh yes...I definately meant "can not".

Bring on factory FI!!!

Ohh btw...http://www.mazda.com.cn/

Revolver

If they're going to be as conservative as the NB SE, I'd rather they didn't bother. The NB SP turbo car made by MA was a much better package, with miles more grunt and cojones (and yes, more expensive). It showed Mazda HQ that, yes, contrary to their conservative expectations, people did want more power in the MX5 (well, duh!).

If they're going to fit some moxy little package for another $5-7K that'll only be a modest improvement over the NA car, I think I'd rather visit Hymee or Archie instead.

Revolver