Looking remarkably production ready, the oddly-named Mazda Minagi concept lets us in on how Mazda's upcoming CX-5 crossover SUV will look.
This crucial new vehicle will give Mazda a much-needed foothold in the compact SUV segment, where it'll do battle (Mr Miagi-style?) with the Kia Sportage, VW Tiguan and company.
In design terms, the Minagi embraces Mazda's elegant new 'Kodo' design language first seen on the Shinari saloon concept of last year and while it's hard not to like the frontal styling, there's perhaps a tad too much Nissan Qashqai in the side and rear profile.
In the words of the chief designer, Masashi Nakayama, "I wanted to convey something different from the Shinari. I felt a compact crossover SUV was the perfect vehicle to express agility and focused movement; the flexibility of four limbs moving in unison, and an upright posture."
For the Minagi, Mazda designers looked at different aspects of cheetahs as they hunt. A cheetah's head is positioned high, while long, powerful and supple limbs hold its lean torso upright to enable it to change direction quickly at high speed. Mazda's designers set out to evoke the moment when an animal contracts its muscles, ready to lunge at its prey.
As for the cabin, designers set out to create a driver-focused cockpit with a sport edge, with black being the predominant colour but contrasted by red colouring in the rear seatbacks and at the bottom of the door armrests.
Four upright satin chrome struts appear to support the instrument panel, each rising upward in an image of vertical strength which appears to defy gravity, while the design of the instrument cluster and surrounding switches conform to the sporty vibe designers aimed to create.
Beneath the skin, the concept fully embraces Mazda's Skyactiv engine, chassis, body and safety technologies, all these innovative ideas maximising efficiency and minimising weight.