New Mazda cabins to go upmarket
* 'More wood and leather' in future models * Mazda boss wants to use more ‘genuine’ materials * Hazumi concept showcases variety of leathers...
Mazda’s Design Chief, Ikuo Maeda, wants to be able to use more natural materials such as wood and leather in future production cars.
The Mazda Hazumi concept revealed at the Geneva motor show incorporates a variety of leathers in the cabin, including matt finishes and nubuck leather on the seats, as well as metal detailing.
Maeda told What Car? that he wanted to see more of these luxurious concept car touches carried over into future production cars: ‘Ideally, we’re going to use whole, genuine materials instead of plastics. Plastic is not so good for expressing the quality and high execution of our interiors’.
‘Wood or leather would be ideal - these are the essential materials to get a certain quality feel. We’d truly like to get genuine materials in our cars.’
Maeda referenced the BMW i3’s eucalyptus dashboard panel as an example of the sort of cabin materials he’d like to incorporate.
The Mazda Hazumi concept gives a strong indication of the styling of the next-generation Mazda 2 hatchback, which is due to be unveiled later this year. We expect it to go on sale in early 2015.
