Mazda Furai Concept and new Mazda RX-8 to make world debut at Detroit Show

Mazda Motor Corporation has confirmed that it will stage the world premieres of the new Mazda Furai concept vehicle and the heavily revised version of the Mazda RX-8 sports car in Detroit on press day (Sunday 13 January, 2008), at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).

Following its show-stopping debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show in October, the Mazda Taiki concept vehicle also will make its North American debut, the first time it has been shown outside Japan. Additionally, Mazda will have a special display of racecars on its stand during the press days, and the full line-up of production cars for consumers to view for the public days.

All attending media are invited to Mazda’s press conference and the formal unveiling on the Mazda show stand at 13.45 hrs, Monday 14 January 2008.

Mazda Furai –‘Sound of the wind’
Inspired by the fact that, on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas and Mazda‑powered racing cars in action on circuits across the United States than any other brand, Mazda has created the Mazda Furai. It is the sort of car that could only come from a company that incorporates the ‘Soul of a Sports Car’ into everything it builds, but with an eye toward the future and the environment through the use of synthetic fuel (cellulosic ethanol E100) produced by British Petroleum (BP).

Furai takes Mazda’s unique Nagare (Japanese for ‘flow’) design language a step further as it is translated into a concept car based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) sports racing car. The car utilizes the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track.

“Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from racing cars,” says Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda’s North American director of design. “Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and the sportiest of street-legal production models — commonly called supercars — that emulate the real racers on the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before.

“Mazda’s critically acclaimed Nagare design language describes the flow of water, air, people or things moving in one direction. Mazda Nagare is flow, with an insightful and spirited styling, which, in Mazda Furai, invokes a raw, unfettered desire to possess everything this car represents,” enthuses Holzhausen.

New Mazda RX-8
Sporting a freshened design, improved handling, stronger acceleration, enhanced quality and extra features, the heavily revised new version of the Mazda RX-8 continues to be a ‘Sports Car like no other’ and shows that the rotary engine is still an important part of Mazda’s future.

Since its launch in 2003, the Mazda RX-8 has been hailed as a genuine sports car, but with a totally new, four-door, four-seat format that delivers true sports car values and driving pleasure, together with unique passenger comfort.

Powered by the world’s only mass-produced rotary engine, RX-8 is the spiritual successor to the 1967 Cosmo 110S, the world’s first twin-rotor production car. With almost two‑million rotary engines sold, and the company’s legendary win at the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours – the only Japanese brand to ever win the endurance racing classic – the rotary engine is the sole preserve of Mazda.