Mazda win design of the year award
We here at Autodealer have a soft spot for Mazda products. Their cars offer great value for money and they look really good.
Mazda has refined its KODO design character over the years and their current range is attracting attention. Don’t just take our word for it, Mazda has recently won the coveted World Car of The Year design award.
What is the World Car of The Year?
These awards have been around for 16 years and they are considered to be the most coveted awards in the motoring industry. These awards reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize, reward and inspire excellence, leadership and innovation in a rapidly changing automotive industry. The jury is made up of 86 automotive journalists from around the world, 25 different countries to be exact, who consider a wide range of categories.
How did Mazda win the design award?
It was a long time coming for Mazda as the brands Kodo design philosophy was first introduced in 2010. The design language has indeed won other various awards over the years however the latest Mazda 3 which was introduced in 2019 refined the design, a design which led to the brand winning this recent award. It took Mazda hundreds of hours to develop this latest design which sees a more mature, elegant and modern rendition of the Kodo design.
Winning streak
Mazda is no stranger to winning awards and has enjoyed many successes at the World Car Awards. The Mazda2 won overall in 2008, and in 2016 the current-generation MX-5 was the first car ever to win both the World Car of the Year award and a second category – the World Car Design of the Year award.
How does this apply to South Africa?
The World Car Design of the Year category, and the corresponding award, are meant to highlight new vehicles with innovation and style that push established boundaries. In South Africa, the Mazda3 includes 6 derivatives in the hatch category and 6 derivatives in the sedan category. Even the entry-level models are reasonably well equipped with items such as an 8.8-inch MAZDA CONNECT infotainment screen which features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. The cars also get an all-new three-way layout eight-speaker sound system from the Active model and the BOSE 12-speaker layout from the Individual model.
As mentioned, the Autodealer team does indeed like the Mazda range of products and the most likeable is the latest Mazda 3. It is packed with features and now, it has been given the World Car of The Year award in the design category which reaffirms the fact that it is indeed a great looking car and one that should be on your radar.
Read Sean Nurse’s road test of the Mazda 3 here.
