Detroit Auto Show is one of the most-awaited auto shows happening this year and so Mazda Motor Corporation is putting in a lot of faith in this auto show to be one of the best avenues to showcase two of its sports cars. One of the Mazda sports cars to be introduced is its Furai concept vehicle which is already being rejoiced over for having a rotary engine capable of 450 horsepower even though it will run on ethanol fuel.

The Furai actually translates to the meaning “sound of the wind,” and so this means that this concept vehicle will continue the “flow” design concept of the Mazda Taiki Concept, the one featured in the Tokyo Motor Show last October of 2007. Only a few details of the Furai concept car have been released but one thins is sure – it will be powered by a three-rotor rotary engine that has been designed to rely on ethanol (E100) for its fuel source.

The Taiki concept vehicle will again make an appearance and this time it will be at the North American Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit together with Mazda’s Mazda5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid and the revamped well-loved Mazda sports car, the Mazda RX-8.

The Mazda Premacy, to which Mazda5 is known in other markets, is a crossover minivan that can seat five people. What’s interesting and appealing about it is that it can be switched from hydrogen to petrol power with just a press of a button. The RE hydrogen rotary engine makes use of the battery power from the stop position. Then, the hydrogen rotary engine will take over and generate electricity during normal cruising. And then the battery will take its charge from regenerative braking.

The second sports car to be launched in the Detroit Auto Show is the redesigned Mazda RX-8. This sports car enjoys the popularity and reputation of being the only sports car to be powered by a rotary engine and with the redesigned look, enhanced handling, and a lot of great extras, the Japanese automaker hopes to amaze its audience once again.

There will be an upcoming Auto Salon in Tokyo happening this January 11-13, 2008 and naturally, Mazda Motor Corporation is participating. However, this time, the Japanese automaker is only going to release images of its new concept vehicle, the Mazda Atenza Mazdaspeed Concept. The Atenza is actually the name of the Mazda6 in its home market. Thus, this concept vehicle is the customized version of the Mazda6.

The Mazdaspeed version of the Atenza is based on the new Mazda6 or Mazda Atenza which will be arriving in spring 2008 in Japan. Mazda will be showcasing show horses, not horsepower during the Auto Show as it will be exhibiting tweaked versions of its line up. The Mazda2 or Mazda Demio “Haru Iro” (spring colors) Collection will be included as well. The spring colors available for the Mazda Demio are green, pink, and blue.

The other Mazda vehicles revealing themselves during the Tokyo Auto Salon are the Mazda CX-7 “Cool Style” Concept and the Mazda RX-8 Type RS. The “Cool Style” Concept of the CX-7 is brought by its enhanced appearance which includes chrome exterior trim with a brown interior. On the other hand, the RXD-8 Type RS is the Japanese automaker’s new top-end model. This has been equipped with 19-inch forged aluminum wheels, urethane-foam-filled front crossmembers, Bilstein dampers, and customized Recaro bucket seats. Aside from these models, Mazda has pledged to feature a line up of 16 customized vehicles during the 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon.

As part of the Zoom-Zoom philosophy of Mazda, the Japanese automaker is planning to have a totally new line-up of powertrains for 2010. The Japanese automaker has presented some of its engine in the all-new line-up during the Tokyo Motor Show.

The first engine Mazda has presented is its direct injection spark ignition (DISI) which is  1.4-liter petrol engine. With this engine, Mazda hopes to increase improvement in performance by up to 15-20m percent and the fuel economy to 20 percent as well.

There is also Mazda’s development of a clean diesel engine to comply with the strict requirements of European emissions. Diesel engines have become quite popular in the recent years because it offers excellent fuel economy and substantial torque. Mazda is planning on expanding the usability of these diesel engines by producing “fun-to-drive” engines that are capable of higher engine speeds and with a 10 percent fuel economy improvement.

The next generation RENESIS 16X rotary engine is also part of the Japanese automaker’s lineup. This is a 1.6-liter engine which features a trochoid chamber shape aimed at increasing torque at all engine speeds and improving thermal efficiency. This engine also aims to improve side exhaust ports and other advancements that will in turn improve the efficiency of the engine. This engine will be the one powering the Mazda Taiki Concept which was revealed before its Tokyo debut. This is the fourth concept car in the ‘Nagare’ design series which is inspired by the natural flow of air.

Mazda also has its own take on hybrid vehicles with its Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE (Rotary Engine) Hybrid which follows the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE. The Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE had already been leased to some of the governments and to some companies as well. The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid was shown during the Tokyo Motor Show. The result of this new engine is 40 percent more than the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, thus there is much better acceleration performance.

Mazda also has a new concept hybrid system that will match the new hydrogen rotary engine being developed.

Mazda is also working on vehicle safety with its HMI or human-machine interface which will make the communication between the driver and the vehicle a lot easier. The Japanese automaker is also developing multi-switches to be incorporated in the rotary-inspired steering wheel to allow drivers to have control over some driving operations without having to remove their hands on the steering wheel.

Seita Kanai, Mazda’s director and senior managing executive officer, said, “Mazda’s determination and passion is expressed in the "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom" plan, our long-term technology development vision that was announced in spring 2007. In advancing this plan, Mazda aims to further evolve its Zoom-Zoom world by delivering true driving pleasure harmoniously balanced with high levels of environmental and safety performance, and by building cars that look inviting to drive, are fun to drive, and make you want to drive them again.”

Beginning October 27 to November 11, the Tokyo Motor Show will happen. But that’s not all. The Tokyo Motor Show will also play witness to the debut of the Taiki concept study, the successor of the Nagare design theme.

The Taiki concept is a study on aerodynamic design which is inspired by nature and the all-new generation of the Rotary engine. The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid will also debut at the Tokyo Motor Show this month, together with the Taiki concept.

The concept behind the Taiki is to follow in the footsteps of the Nagare, Ryuga, and Hakaze concept vehicles from Mazda. It will further develop and improve the theme via the fusion of the design concept of Nagare (which means flow) and the real-world technologies. Mazda Motor Corporation said that the “Mazda Taiki sets a new ideal for the front-engine rear-drive sports car of the future.”

There are rumors spreading that a concept-inspired rotary coupe will be introduced in the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show happening next month. The said rotary coupe was inspired by Mazda Motor Corporations three concept cars – the Nagare, Kabura, and Ryuga. Although the rotary coupe looks muck more like the Kabura, it still sports features that are present in all three.

Details of it are not yet known, like if it would have a front or rear wheel drive, but one article from a Japanese magazine reported that it would be powered by Mazda’s very own advanced rotary engine which is the RENESIS(2).

Finally, we may be closing in on the answer as to how the three Mazda concept vehicles will materialize into production vehicles. Let’s just hope the concept-inspired rotary coupe will quench the thirst of car enthusiasts for a materialized car that’s as great as its concept.

Mazda has recently provided duel-fuel Rx-8 hydrogen-petrol rotary engine to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry to be used for their daily operations. Now, they are continuing with their research on hydrogen-powered engines as they promised during the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005 that they will be developing a hydrogen rotary hybrid version of the Mazda 5.

Under the hood of this Mazda 5 Hydrogen Rotary Hybrid Concept, Mazda has mounted the same duel-fuel, two-rotor hydrogen RENESIS like the one RX-8 Hydrogen has. During the said auto show, it was the first time that this concept had been demonstrated in a front-wheel drive application.

As suggested already, there are two fuel tanks present in the conceptualized Mazda 5 hydrogen rotary hybrid. The first one is a gas tanks that resides beneath the rear seat together with the battery, and the second one is a hydrogen tank in the back, which replaces the third row of seats.

It is this way that Mazda can materialize their concept of a vehicle running on either hydrogen or gasoline (which is already present in the RX-8 hydrogen). Drivers can easily change their power source with just a flick of a switch on the dashboard.

This Mazda 5 hydrogen rotary hybrid concept is even better than the RX-8 in terms of storage space as its hydrogen tank fills up almost the entire small trunk of the RX-8.

This is hell fun! I haven’t seen a ride as sweet and hot as this since Batman’s batmobile graced us with its presence in our theaters worldwide. Mazda Motor Company seems to want to relive the experience of feeling pure awe just by gazing at a car (that seems to be out of this world), when they decided to reveal three of their concept cars in the 2007 Auto Show that happened in LA.