The Designers Pt 13: Ikuo Maeda, Mazda
“The question remains whether we should deprive highly intelligent human beings of the act of driving”
“The question remains whether we should deprive highly intelligent human beings of the act of driving”
This past year was an extremely significant, I would even say milestone, year for us. Since introducing KODO in 2009, we have continued to bring out new cars across a variety of categories and 2015 was the year in which we finished renewing our entire line-up. Now every car in our collection has been redesigned under the KODO design philosophy. It was also the year we launched the new MX-5, something I’d dreamt about for many years. Now we have a full line-up of vehicles that deliver the same design message, enabling us communicate a stronger message about the brand. This is something Mazda has never been able to do before and I feel we now have a strong foundation for the brand.
MX-5 and KODO bicycle
Over this period, while maintaining that consistency across the lineup, we’ve worked hard to constantly evolve this design language. As a result, we’ve raised the quality feel of our designs over time, and widened the breadth and depth of our design vocabulary. We also took on a lot of challenges outside the realms of just designing cars. We exhibited a variety of non-automotive works at Milano Salone, created the central feature sculpture at Goodwood, and even redesigned our dealerships in Japan. Many of these endeavours were in fields that were new to us, and provided very stimulating experiences. I think these initiatives all contributed to the establishment of our brand style as well. We were featured in a wide variety of media and in Germany we took the prestigious Design Team of the Year award. I’d say that 2015 was a fruitful year and one that will connect to a bright future for our brand.
Mazda sculpture at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
“You may think you’re suited if you like cars, or if you just like design, but I don’t think you can do this job unless you are truly passionate about both these things”
From an industry perspective 2015 was a historic year in which we came to see how autonomous driving technology could completely change the significance of the automobile. There was also a lot of talk about restructuring within the industry, even about industry outsiders joining the fray. While there are good reasons for companies to develop these technologies, in terms of safety ideals and protecting the weak, the question remains whether we should deprive highly intelligent human beings of the act of driving. There is no let-up in the development of connectivity either. These things could potentially change the very act of moving from one place to another. I think we need to face up to this situation and take a serious second look at the value of the automobile.
Sketch of RX-Vision concept
Personally, I love cars. I love to drive. At Mazda, our slogan is ‘the joy of driving’. I believe this desire is universal and it’s the reason why the automobile has had such an influence on human culture. Cars are not just machines, they’re more than that. While responding to new demands as times change, at Mazda we want to keep making cars that maintain that universal appeal. What do we need to do in order to achieve that? Where do we focus our resources? I guess each brand will be searching for its own answers to these questions in 2016.
I want to make 2016 the year we take the first step toward the next generation. At the end of 2015, we unveiled the RX-Vision concept. Our intention was to create a pure sports car that was recognisably Mazda, and we wanted to produce an exquisite form using some of our new design vocabulary. While the form is simple, the movement of reflections across the surface is dramatic and there is a hidden sensuality or allure to this design. The car drew huge crowds day after day at the Tokyo Motor show and it seemed to resonate with young people as well, which was very pleasing to see. This delicate three-dimensionality is one of the strengths of Mazda design and I’d like to continue developing this, with a particular focus on embodying something distinctly Japanese. I think the Japanese aesthetic is not well understood around the world. I want to take on the challenge of expressing the depths of this aesthetic through the vehicle in the most beautiful way. Such a study will help us emphasise the originality of Mazda design. I also want to expand the realms of our design by again taking on new design challenges beyond the automobile. In other words, I hope to make 2016 a year of new endeavours that help to raise our brand value.
New Mazda showroom
Because Mazda Design is all about taking on challenges, our team is made up of individuals with an extremely professional mindset. From my point of view, as a designer this mindset means a never-ending quest to improve the quality of your designs. You may think you’re suited if you like cars, or you just like design, but I don’t think you can do this job unless you are truly passionate about both these things. Everyone here is a car-lover and for us cars are a means to enjoying life. And we are relentless in our pursuit of beauty. I think this atmosphere of passion can be felt in our car designs. In addition, Mazda is still a nascent brand and many of the activities we are doing now to raise the value of our brand are design-led. In the automotive industry, in any industry, that’s an extremely rare opportunity. We still have many tasks ahead of, us and if current design students know about what we are doing here, they will get a sense of the potential for growth and will naturally want to be a part of that.
Ikuo Maeda
Role Global head of design, Mazda
Age 56
Nationality Japanese
Location Hiroshima, Japan
Education Kyoto Technical and Textile University, Japan
Maeda-san’s cars of 2015
Concept
1. Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6
2. Porsche Mission E
3. Citroën Aircross
Production
1. Volvo S90
2. Alfa Romeo Giulia
3. Ford GT
Car Design Review 3
This interview is taken from the Car Design Review 3 yearbook. Published annually by the writers of Car Design News, the book rounds up all of the major car-design trends seen in the past 12 months, counts down the best production and concept car designs of the year and features interviews with 18 of the best car designers working today, plus an in-depth interview with Syd Mead, this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner.