Mazda Shinari

The Mazda Shinari concept gives us a clear idea as to what the next Mazda 6 will look like. The first vehicle wearing a new Mazda design language dubbed Kodo (“Soul of Motion”), the Shinari concept is a gorgeous, if slightly overblown, four-seat coupe that looks like the lovechild of a Maserati GranTurismo and a Jaguar XF. The cab-rearward proportions; swoopy lines; and giant, 21-inch wheels give the impression that Mazda might be going after the likes of Mercedes, BMW, and Audi.

New chief designer Ikuo Maeda told us that the intention behind his first concept was "to build the car I want to buy and drive." It's his move away from the flowing, nature-inspired Nagare design theme, a softer ethos that resulted in the gaping maw of the current Mazda 3. Kodo is a more expressive philosophy that is meant, Maeda says, to evoke the muscularity of a cheetah in full flight—you may remember that Nissan’s Shiro Nakamura previously used the same animal as inspiration, describing the Infiniti FX as a “bionic cheetah."

The Shinari is based on a new architecture that can be front-, rear-, or all-wheel drive. Further proof of this car’s future 6-ness comes in the confirmation that the concept’s architecture will underpin the next generation of Mazda C- and D-segment vehicles (think Toyota Camry and Honda Accord). We peeked underneath the concept and discovered a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (likely one of the company’s new Sky powerplants) driving the front wheels, and a lower-control-arm front-suspension layout.

And so if you push the windshield a bit further forward, remove the goofy concept-car interior, and tone down the wheel size and the front and rear lighting elements, you have the next-gen 6. Even watered down from the Shinari, it's going to be dramatic. And those opposed to the giant smiley face that characterizes current Mazdas should rest easy: The Shinari’s grille and front lighting will define the brand’s vehicles as long as Maeda-san, whose father designed the first RX-7, is in charge.