We've made much of the Taiki's crazy rear wheels in previous stories about the concept. And, after seeing them in person here at the Tokyo show, we still think they're crazy. But we will not go there again. Besides we've run out of silly comparisons (shopping-cart casters, training wheels, etc, etc)...
What we find really intriguing about the Taiki is not so much the car itself but rather the sustained barrage of concepts from the company over the last year or so, all under the Nagare theme. Nagare translates to -- oh who cares. What's important is this group is one of the only in memory that gives such a consistent view of how a company's future design sensibilities will be applied to various varieties of vehicle. It bodes well for future production Mazdas.
The Taiki is probably our least favorite of the four. But overall, we've liked all of the concepts' pleasant faces, their swoopy forms and their unconventional creases. And there's not a crazy cube-shaped minibox in the bunch. -- Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit, Inside Line
carlisimo says:
10:10 AM, 10/25/07
Great post. I too hope to see these ideas reach fruition.
alfalfa33 says:
02:14 PM, 10/25/07
WTF, Mazda. Enough concepts. We get the picture. Just start building us cars we want (Euro/JDM 6, Kabura) and stop building us cars we don't (CX-9).
They're becoming like Jaguar... Endless concepts and no real cars.
estreka says:
08:07 AM, 10/26/07
That's the sexiest shopping cart I've ever laid eyes on.
ateixeira says:
11:52 AM, 10/26/07
FWIW, CX9 just won Motor Trend SUV of the year. A huge victory for Mazda.
hondacura4 says:
06:24 PM, 10/27/07
Mazda does have some interesting concepts as the overall designs FLOW correctly.