| Mazda Motor Corp. will launch its Furai | | | | an insightful and spirited styling, which, in |
| concept sports car at the 2008 North American | | | | Mazda Furai, invokes a raw, unfettered desire |
| International Auto Show set from Sunday, | | | | to possess everything this car represents. |
| January 13 through Sunday, January 27, 2008. | | | | |
| Aside from the said concept car, the Japanese | | | | According to the automaker, the challenge to |
| automaker will also showcase the heavily | | | | create "a design that visually expresses the |
| redesigned 2009 Mazda RX-8 sports car. | | | | flow of air" was inspired by the image of a |
| | | | pair of Hagoromo, the flowing robes that |
| Mazda Furai (read fu-rye), which means 'sound | | | | enable a celestial maiden to fly in Japanese |
| of the wind,' is inspired by the fact that | | | | legend, floating down from the sky. |
| there are the sort of car that could only | | | | |
| come from a company that incorporates the | | | | The 2009 Mazda RX-8 is also intended to make |
| "Soul of a Sports Car" into everything it | | | | an awesome debut. Sporting a freshened |
| manufactures. Additionally, the automaker | | | | design, enhanced handing, acceleration, |
| stressed the future auto technology and the | | | | quality and features, the all-new RX-8 |
| environment through the use of 100 percent | | | | continues to be a "Sports Car like no other," |
| ethanol produced in partnership with British | | | | and shows that the rotary engine is still an |
| Petroleum (BP). | | | | important part of Mazda's future. |
| | | | |
| "Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have | | | | Since its introduction in 2003, the RX-8 has |
| traditionally distinguished street cars from | | | | been hailed as a genuine sports car, but with |
| track cars. Historically, there has been a | | | | a totally new, four-door, four-seat format |
| gap between single-purpose racecars and | | | | that offers sports car values, comfort and |
| street-legal models, commonly called | | | | driving bliss. The RX-8 is the spiritual |
| supercars, that emulate the real racers on | | | | successor to the 1967 Cosmo 110S, the world's |
| the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car | | | | first twin-rotor production car. |
| has ever done before," said Franz von | | | | |
| Holzhausen, Mazda's North American director | | | | Additionally, the Mazda Taiki concept vehicle |
| of design. | | | | also will make its North American debut, the |
| | | | first time it has been shown outside Japan. |
| Furai takes Mazda's unique Nagare, which | | | | Hailed as the "Concept of the Show" by a |
| means flow, design language a step further as | | | | major enthusiast publication at this year's |
| it is translated into a concept car based on | | | | Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda is eager to show the |
| an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing car. | | | | Mazda Taiki alongside the all-new Mazda |
| Aside from the efficient Mazda engine parts, | | | | Furai. |
| the car uses the Courage C65 chassis the | | | | |
| company campaigned in the ALMS series only | | | | Inspired by Japanese koinobori or the |
| two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor | | | | "climbing carp streamers," the notion of |
| rotary engine that distinguishes it from | | | | creating an Air-tube became the concept word |
| anything else on the track. | | | | for the interior design of the vehicle. As |
| | | | such, from the dashboard and seats down to |
| Mazda's Nagare design language describes the | | | | the door trim, the interior space of the car |
| flow of water, air, people or things moving | | | | creates the feisty sensation that the flow of |
| in one direction. Mazda Nagare is flow, with | | | | the wind is being visually illustrated. |