MX-0 Design Study (Japan, 2010)

For the 2010 Design Challenge, the designers at Mazda aimed at creating a car with zero weight and zero emissions. At the heart of the MX-0 is its purpose as a driving beast. Its ultra-light mass is pushed by high-torque electric motors.

Low weight is to facilitate effortless cornering and acceleration of the vehicle. The team redesigned each component in the MX-0 to carry out the functions of several MX-5 components, effectively replacing a multitude of MX-5 parts with fewer, simplified ones. Innovative lightweight materials have further helped to decrease the weight.

Envisioning the global market of 2020, and projecting a volume of 500,000 units annually, the MX-0 should also have positive effects on the world’s environment and economy by way of less energy consumption and minimized use of raw materials. High-volume, automated manufacturing of sustainable, inexpensive composites coupled with clean-running drive trains are the key to both low weight and high-v...