Mazda‘s swoopy, sometimes controversial “Nagare” styling has been jettisoned after a few short years as the pre-eminent design language for the Hiroshima, Japan-based car company.
Nagare, with its flowing lines and inelegant front-end treatments, managed to find a home on the next-generation Mazda5, the current Mazda3 and the facelifted Mazda MX-5. The Nagare styling was often controversial, and according to a report in AutoExpress, company management was underwhelmed with the results, and according to Peter Birtwhistle, head of design for Mazda Europe, the company is hoping to be “more like a Japanese Alfa Romeo, producing cars which are great to drive, but crucially that also have the right premium feel, particularly inside.”
With a Mazda5 and a first-generation Miata among the Autoguide staff vehicles, we can’t say we’re too upset about the lack of Nagare cues in future Mazdas, as long as their engineering department doesn’t get turfed along with the stylists.
[Source: Auto Express]
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The smiley face was too radical anyway. I am happy(smiling?) that they are dropping it for something more appropriate and conventional.
June 24th, 2010 at 7:37 am