Mazda Taiki

The Mazda Taiki (マツダ・大気, Matsuda Taiki) is a one-off concept car produced by Mazda, and is the fourth car in Mazda's 'Nagare' design series. Mazda says the Taiki "reflects one possible direction for a future generation of Mazda sports cars aimed at helping to create a sustainable society".

Mazda Taiki
Overview
Manufacturer	Mazda
Production	2007
Designer	Laurens van den Acker, Joseph Reeve, Atsuhiko Yamada
Body and chassis
Class	Supercar, Concept car
Body style	2-door coupé
Layout	FR layout
Doors	Butterfly
Related	Mazda Nagare Mazda Ryuga Mazda Hakaze Mazda Furai
Powertrain
Engine	1600cc 16X Wankel engine
Transmission	7-speed Dry twin clutch automatic

The car

Side view

Drivetrain

The Taiki uses a front engine, rear-wheel drive layout and is powered by Mazda's next generation RENESIS rotary 16X engine, which is mated to a 7-speed, double-clutch gearbox. The 16X engine is said to replace the RX-8's 13B engine. The name Taiki means 'atmosphere' in Japanese.

Design

Exterior

Rear view

The exterior design, created by Joseph Reeve under the direction of Atsuhiko Yamada, is inspired by flowing robes. The Taiki has butterfly doors and a very impressive drag coefficient of 0.25. Even the wheels and tires were designed with aerodynamics in mind.

Interior

The interior, designed by Troy Trinh, is influenced by 'koinobori' - Japanese carp streamers, and the black & white colour break is inspired by the symbol for Yin-Yang. The driver's side of the cabin is black, while the passenger side is white.

External links

• Mazda Taiki at Sydney Motor Show

References

• www.drive.com.au Archived 2009-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
• www.themotorreport.com.au

http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/design_reviews/display/store4/item93943/