Mazda Kabura
Encyclopedia
The Mazda Kabura is a concept car
shown by the Japan
ese manufacturer
Mazda
in 2006.
, is a sport compact
which shows styling themes and technologies which could appear in future production models. It was designed in Irvine, California
by Mazda of North America design chief Franz von Holzhausen
, whose past projects have included the Audi TT
and Pontiac Solstice
.
Kabura incorporates the front-engine, rear-drive layout similar to the Mazda MX-5
and the Mazda RX-8
and hints of physical design characteristics similar to the Mazda RX-8
and the discontinued Mazda MX-3
. Instead of a typical 2+2 layout, the Kabura has an unusual 3+1 arrangement, giving greater passenger space versus a traditional coupe, without increasing weight or size. All passenger seats fold flat to make additional room for cargo.
“Kabura” is a Japanese term taken from kabura-ya, an arrow that makes a howling sound when fired, and was historically used to signal the start of a battle. This “first arrow into battle” is meant to represent Mazda's pursuit of unique styling themes and technologies - such as the rotary engine. Kabura represents the first Mazda compact coupe for the 21st century. Mazda has not announced plans to build a production version of the Kabura, but the design embodies several innovations that Mazda could implement when a compact sports coupe is ready for production. One of Kabura’s roles is exposing a possible future design direction for a new model.
Power is supplied to Kabura concept's rear wheels from a 2.0 L version of Mazda’s MZR
DOHC 16-valve engine. The Kabura uses 245/35R19 Bridgestone
Potenza front tires and 245/35R20 tires at the rear. While this concept has been assembled with several MX-5 chassis components, the basic dimensions fall between the MX-3
and the RX-8
. As a sport compact
, it will slot below the RX-8 in the Mazda lineup.
Behind the B-pillar is a two-piece glass hatch. The uppermost glass panel normally lies flush. When pivoted-up by an electric motor, it acts as a roof spoiler, which also vents air from the interior and increases rear passenger headroom. A photovoltaic solar cell in the panel helps to control interior temperature, as well as helping recharge the battery for powering accessories. The larger glass hatch panel has side-mounted hinges to provide access to the Kabura’s cargo compartment.
The driver's door provides access to the driver’s cockpit, and to the rear jump seat. The other side of the car is a purposely asymmetrical arrangement. Eliminating the glovebox and minimizing the instrument panel allows shifting the front passenger about six-inches ahead of the driver’s seating position. In turn, the second inside passenger, sitting in tandem behind the inside passenger, has approximately the same leg, shoulder, and headroom as the front passenger. The Kabura includes a secondary passenger-side door, allowing easier access to the seat behind the front passenger. After the front door is opened, touching a button slides the rear door straight back into a cavity notched into the rear-quarter panel area, instead of swinging on hinges.
Kabura's concept interior is produced from regenerated leather substrate, mostly from post-industrial waste recovered from the manufacturing of Nike
brand athletic shoes.
2+2, the Kabura was said to borrow significant mechanical components from the MX-5
roadster while having a similar shape to the MX-3
. Although the Kabura has yet to enter production, the 2011 RX-8 drew inspiration from the Kabura.
Concept car
A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....
shown by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manufacturer
Automaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
in 2006.
Concept overview
The Kabura, introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto ShowNorth American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
, is a sport compact
Sport compact
A sport compact is a high-performance version of a compact car or a subcompact car. They are typically are front engined, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive coupés, sedans, or hatchbacks driven by a straight-4 gasoline engine. Performance-oriented sport compacts generally focus on improving...
which shows styling themes and technologies which could appear in future production models. It was designed in Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
by Mazda of North America design chief Franz von Holzhausen
Franz von Holzhausen
Franz von Holzhausen is an automobile designer, currently in charge of design at Tesla Motors after resigning his position at Mazda North American Operations on July 31, 2008....
, whose past projects have included the Audi TT
Audi TT
The Audi TT is a two-door sports car manufactured by the German automaker and Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi since 1998.The Audi TT has been produced in two generations. Both generations have been available in two car body styles; as a 2+2 Coupé, or two-seater Roadster...
and Pontiac Solstice
Pontiac Solstice
The Pontiac Solstice is a small sports car from the Pontiac division of General Motors. Introduced at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, the Solstice roadster began production in Wilmington, Delaware, starting in mid-2005 for the 2006 model year. The exterior styling of the...
.
Kabura incorporates the front-engine, rear-drive layout similar to the Mazda MX-5
Mazda MX-5
The MX-5, also known as Miata in North America and Eunos Roadster in Japan, is a lightweight two-seater roadster, of front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, built by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan. The model was introduced in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show...
and the Mazda RX-8
Mazda RX-8
The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. It first appeared in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7 and, like its predecessors in the RX range, it is powered by a Wankel engine. The RX-8 began North American sales in the...
and hints of physical design characteristics similar to the Mazda RX-8
Mazda RX-8
The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. It first appeared in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7 and, like its predecessors in the RX range, it is powered by a Wankel engine. The RX-8 began North American sales in the...
and the discontinued Mazda MX-3
Mazda MX-3
The Mazda MX-3 is a four-seat hatchback coupé first introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991. The MX-3 was marketed as the Mazda MX-3 Precidia in Canada, the Eunos 30X in Australia, and as the Eunos Presso, Autozam AZ-3 and Mazda AZ-3 in Japan.The MX-3 is quite popular for modification...
. Instead of a typical 2+2 layout, the Kabura has an unusual 3+1 arrangement, giving greater passenger space versus a traditional coupe, without increasing weight or size. All passenger seats fold flat to make additional room for cargo.
“Kabura” is a Japanese term taken from kabura-ya, an arrow that makes a howling sound when fired, and was historically used to signal the start of a battle. This “first arrow into battle” is meant to represent Mazda's pursuit of unique styling themes and technologies - such as the rotary engine. Kabura represents the first Mazda compact coupe for the 21st century. Mazda has not announced plans to build a production version of the Kabura, but the design embodies several innovations that Mazda could implement when a compact sports coupe is ready for production. One of Kabura’s roles is exposing a possible future design direction for a new model.
Power is supplied to Kabura concept's rear wheels from a 2.0 L version of Mazda’s MZR
Mazda MZR engine
MZR is the brand name of a generation of Straight-4 engines engineered and built by the Mazda Motor Corporation between 2001 and 2011. The MZR generation includes gasoline and diesel powered engines ranging in displacements from 1.3L to 2.5L. All gasoline-powered MZRs feature an all-aluminum block...
DOHC 16-valve engine. The Kabura uses 245/35R19 Bridgestone
Bridgestone
The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....
Potenza front tires and 245/35R20 tires at the rear. While this concept has been assembled with several MX-5 chassis components, the basic dimensions fall between the MX-3
Mazda MX-3
The Mazda MX-3 is a four-seat hatchback coupé first introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991. The MX-3 was marketed as the Mazda MX-3 Precidia in Canada, the Eunos 30X in Australia, and as the Eunos Presso, Autozam AZ-3 and Mazda AZ-3 in Japan.The MX-3 is quite popular for modification...
and the RX-8
Mazda RX-8
The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. It first appeared in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7 and, like its predecessors in the RX range, it is powered by a Wankel engine. The RX-8 began North American sales in the...
. As a sport compact
Sport compact
A sport compact is a high-performance version of a compact car or a subcompact car. They are typically are front engined, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive coupés, sedans, or hatchbacks driven by a straight-4 gasoline engine. Performance-oriented sport compacts generally focus on improving...
, it will slot below the RX-8 in the Mazda lineup.
Exterior
The Kabura’s exterior is described as a wide "powerful" stance, with pronounced wheel arches and taut surfaces, reminiscent of classic coupes. The windshield and forward portion of the roof are integrated into one seamless glass surface that extends from the cowl to the B-pillar. Overhead portions of the glass have adjustable tinting, so that the driver can adjust a knob to change the roof’s opacity, as desired, from clear to completely opaque.Behind the B-pillar is a two-piece glass hatch. The uppermost glass panel normally lies flush. When pivoted-up by an electric motor, it acts as a roof spoiler, which also vents air from the interior and increases rear passenger headroom. A photovoltaic solar cell in the panel helps to control interior temperature, as well as helping recharge the battery for powering accessories. The larger glass hatch panel has side-mounted hinges to provide access to the Kabura’s cargo compartment.
Interior
The unique 3+1 interior layout is designed to provide comfortable seating for one or two tandem passengers to the right of the driver, with only occasional use of the fourth "jump-seat" behind the driver as needed.The driver's door provides access to the driver’s cockpit, and to the rear jump seat. The other side of the car is a purposely asymmetrical arrangement. Eliminating the glovebox and minimizing the instrument panel allows shifting the front passenger about six-inches ahead of the driver’s seating position. In turn, the second inside passenger, sitting in tandem behind the inside passenger, has approximately the same leg, shoulder, and headroom as the front passenger. The Kabura includes a secondary passenger-side door, allowing easier access to the seat behind the front passenger. After the front door is opened, touching a button slides the rear door straight back into a cavity notched into the rear-quarter panel area, instead of swinging on hinges.
Kabura's concept interior is produced from regenerated leather substrate, mostly from post-industrial waste recovered from the manufacturing of Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
brand athletic shoes.
Specifications
- Length: 4.05 m (159.4 in.)
- Width: 1.78 m (70.1 in.)
- Height: 1.28 m (50.4 in.)
- Wheelbase: 2.55 m (100.4 in.)
- Seating capacitySeating capacitySeating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
: 4 person (3+1 seating)
- Engine: MZR 2.0 L DOHC 16-Valve
- Transmission: 6MT manual
- Suspension （F/R）: Double Wishbone / Multi-Link
- Tires - Front: 245/35 R19
- Tires - Rear: 245/35 R20
Production version
A production version of the Kabura was rumoured for the 2009 model year. Slotting in as an entry-level alternative to the RX-8Mazda RX-8
The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. It first appeared in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7 and, like its predecessors in the RX range, it is powered by a Wankel engine. The RX-8 began North American sales in the...
2+2, the Kabura was said to borrow significant mechanical components from the MX-5
Mazda MX-5
The MX-5, also known as Miata in North America and Eunos Roadster in Japan, is a lightweight two-seater roadster, of front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, built by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan. The model was introduced in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show...
roadster while having a similar shape to the MX-3
Mazda MX-3
The Mazda MX-3 is a four-seat hatchback coupé first introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991. The MX-3 was marketed as the Mazda MX-3 Precidia in Canada, the Eunos 30X in Australia, and as the Eunos Presso, Autozam AZ-3 and Mazda AZ-3 in Japan.The MX-3 is quite popular for modification...
. Although the Kabura has yet to enter production, the 2011 RX-8 drew inspiration from the Kabura.