Mazda has debuted a sleek new crossover concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Koeru, which means "exceed" or "go beyond" in Japanese, is defined by a fluid body shape and a full suite of new build and safety technologies.
The Koeru is designed under Mazda's KODO - Soul of Motion design language, which seeks to mix elements of muscularity, elegance and sophistication – even when applied to a sofa or a bike. In the Koeru this translates to a 4,600 x 1,900 x 1,500-mm (181 x 75 x 59-in) body with a strong, wide-set presence reinforced by the oversized wheels and a powerful looking grille. The smooth lines and tapering body, however, tend to offset any brutishness.
The vehicle's aerodynamics is enhanced by an under-floor structure designed to minimize turbulence and Mazda says that its NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) technology minimizes noise and vibrations inside the Koeru.
The concept showcases Mazda's Heads-Up Cockpit car-connectivity system along with i-ACTIVSENSE safety tech, which includes headlights that automatically switch between full and low beam and point in the direction that the driver steers. There's also intelligent cruise control, lane departure detection and the ability to alert the driver if there is a risk of collision from vehicles approaching from the rear.
Given that it's far more reserved than some of the concept cars we've encountered in Frankfurt, we wouldn't be surprised to see much of the styling seen in the Koeru filter through to production models.
Source: Mazda
If they diverted 10% of the money they spend on hype or "concept" cars that will never see production, i.e., showoff cars, to build a truly "back to basics (fundamentals)" machine, we might get some real progress in efficiency. We could "go beyond" the hype, and "exceed" the status quo.