Mazda6 secures Red Dot Design Award

Mazda6 secures Red Dot Design Award

Mazda6 has won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award, celebrating the vehicle's impeccable design innovation.

Previously handed out to fashion and lifestyle brands including Nike and Apple, the Mazda6 won in the product design category as decided by a team of 37 experts who looked at each entry based upon nine criteria.

The Mazda6 is built around the design principles of KODO, which is a language used for all of its new generation vehicles and is based around the energy released from animals or athletes when they spring into motion. It is supposed to reflect the manufacturer's unique vigour and agility.

This is another accolade in a long list of achievements by the Mazda6, which has recently been honoured by Fleet News and CarBuyer. KODO itself received the 2012 European Design Award from Auto Bild and first place in the concept car category at the German Design Council's Automotive Brand Contest 2012.

“We were aiming with the new Mazda6 to awaken the observer’s senses and turn heads with an uncompromising balance and proportion that instantly makes one want to get in the car and drive,” said Peter Birtwhistle, chief designer at Mazda’s European R&D Centre.

“The red dot award for product design is a very prestigious testimony to what we have achieved at Mazda with the bold expressions personified by KODO.”

Launched in January, the Mazda6 is the second KODO model released by the manufacturer, following the Mazda CX-5. It also features the pioneering SKYACTIV technology, which delivers utmost performance and efficiency from the engine. There are four models available, including two petrol and two diesel offerings in either six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

Mazda is set to receive the Red Dot Design Award at a ceremony in Essen, Germany's Aallto-Theater on July 1st. The prize was introduced in 1955 by the firm Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen and is considered one of the world's largest design competitions. For 2013, there were 4,662 entries from 1,865 manufacturers across 54 countries.

Posted by Louise Clark