Concept cars give us a glance into a car manufacturer’s world. With them, we get to see futuristic designs, advanced technology, and incredible styling that will set the stage for the next generation of the company’s cars, and their future in the automotive industry. Whether you are a Mazda fan or not, you will fall in love with their concept sedan, the Kai, and the production cars that have followed in its footsteps.

The Soul of Motion

If you’ve never heard of Mazda’s KODO design philosophy, you’ve probably seen it or experiences something similar without realizing it. The KODO design philosophy shows how Mazda believes that cars are more than just a metal and fiberglass piece of machinery. Many people experience this emotional connection first hand, giving their cars names, assigning them genders, or even going as far as describing them as you would a person. Mazda makes its cars into art, and just like any good art, it is designed to express feelings.

The concept team that works on Mazda’s renderings and designs use the KODO philosophy to give the cars a more artistic touch, trying to invoke emotion. The Kai is just one of the many and easy examples of the team’s KODO designing, with its fluid yet powerful lines, it is simple yet offers a powerful image.

The Kai concept car was debuted at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show along with another sporty concept car, the Vision Coupe. They were created to have the standard Mazda compression ignition engine that reportedly gives the concepts a sporty driving experience. Improvements to the Kai’s insulation and suspension give it a quieter, smoother ride to make it even better.

What we know

Because the Kai is just a concept vehicle, there isn’t much information presented by Mazda. What we do know, is that this concept sedan hints to the future of the popular and well-loved Mazda3.

The design of the Kai is longer than the previous Mazda3 sedans, providing more cabin space and cargo capacity without compromising its streamline style. The concept only offers space for four seats but Mazda says the new full-scale production version will offer the standard five-seats you would expect from a sedan.

The interior is luxurious yet minimal, with digital screens that give it a modern touch and high-quality materials that feel just as good as they look. While it will be the inspiration for more production Mazda cars, the manufacturer has announced that they will not put these concepts into production.

Since the Kai was debuted, you can see already how it has affected the newest generation of Mazda, with cars like the Mazda3 taking strong hints of the Kai into production. Overall many Mazda owners have been happy with how the design team has integrated the Kai into their production cars, even if they Kai itself will likely never hit the streets.