The highly anticipated Mazda 3 has been making brief appearances across numerous media events, but this time, we were given a unique, up-close and personal look with Mazda’s latest beauty through the eyes of two photographers who are true experts in their craft.
The event called Master Class, which is an advanced photography class with Ricky Ladia and Jan Gonzales, both of whom are Fujifilm ambassadors, explained the advanced preparation and skills needed in each automotive photoshoot. As it turns out, it was way more complex than I initially thought. This involves taking numerous photos, as well as stitching them together in Photoshop.
However, that is not necessarily why we are here. We’re here to tell you how Mazda’s designers and engineers meticulously crafted the all-new Mazda 3. It’s almost universally known how Mazda makes the most premium and stylish interiors in this side of the automotive market, but little does anyone know how much attention to detail the all-new Mazda 3 went through, especially in its premium interior.
We know how Mazda now uses an evolution of its Kodo design language, which starts with this Mazda 3. Mazda’s chief designer Yasutake Tsuchida explains that the new Kodo design language utilizes the theme of “beauty through subtraction,” achieved through the reduction of “visual noise” aka the creases and lines normally seen on cars. Instead, the Mazda 3 follows the same design cues of the Vision Coupe Concept, which solely depends on creases and the natural curvature of the vehicle to create visual appeal from how light and reflections bounce off the curved surfaces. Normally, we want to remove too much reflection when we photograph cars, but with Mazda’s case, reflections are needed to emphasize the beauty of the Mazda 3’s surfaces. Also, apart from the hood and side mirrors, the Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback do not share any panels at all.
Speaking of the hatchback, the hatch’s C-pillar has become a talking point among the motoring community. We commend Mazda for being one of the brands that stay true to their concepts, and the Mazda 3 hatch carries over many of the design cues from the Kai Concept, but its translation from concept to production has led many to think that it looks bulbous, while others think it looks extremely pretty and dynamic. It’s not up to everyone’s taste, but that was actually Mazda’s goal, for people to talk about the hatchback’s design.
The all-new Mazda 3 features a beautifully crafted interior filled with plush soft-touch materials, leather, and stitching details. It’s an interior that can often be compared to the German premium brands. This is further evident in details such as the relocation of the bass speakers to the front cowl. Yes, the speakers are in the vehicle’s structure itself, which is a nightmare to achieve for any engineer.
In these photos, you will notice that the mid-range speakers are placed on the upper part of the front and rear door cards rather than the usual lower door panels. This according to Mazda allows for a clearer, more concentrated “concert hall” experience that is true to the actual music source. Placing the bass speakers at the front cowl also enabled engineers to remove vibrations from the doors especially when playing tunes at a high volume. An 8-speaker Mazda Harmonics Acoustics sound system is standard, while a 12-speaker Bose sound system is optional. It’s these kinds of details that you normally only hear from premium brands, not a mainstream automotive brand, and that speaks volumes on Mazda’s direction.
Lastly, you will also notice the abundance of white LED lights inside the Mazda 3. The decision to choose white is because of how it evokes a quality feel based on Mazda’s research on how humans react with light. To further achieve this quality feel, Mazda’s engineers went to great lengths to ensure that the color grading of all the white LEDs inside the Mazda 3 complies to its tolerances to ensure consistency all around the vehicle. Again, it is this level of attention to detail you only normally hear from premium brands.
With all these details with the all-new Mazda 3, are you excited to finally see this in person?
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