Presenting novel ways of thinking about both the automaker’s newest compact crossover SUV and its most iconic sports car, Mazda brought four vehicles to the SEMA Show. The three street-spec CX-5s and one competition-oriented MX-5 were created in-house by the North America Operations Design team located at its corporate headquarters in Irvine, California. Here’s a quick overview of each.
Mazda CX-5 180 Concept
Ready to accommodate everything from the ski slopes to the beach at a moment’s notice, the Mazda CX-5 180 Concept features a unique Denim-into-Midnight paint scheme that includes topographical maps along with weather and temperature-specific data for Big Bear Lake on its left side and Point Dume on its right, all accented with Luminous Red paint to indicate roads. In keeping with the ski-to-surf theme, the custom roof rack on the 180 Concept carries a pair of Burton Cheetah snowboards as well as a Rusty surfboard. This all-wheel-drive CX-5 one-off is fitted with Mazda Design 20-inch Black Chrome alloy wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tires and also boasts a Racing Beat dual exhaust system. Inside, the custom cabin trimout includes two-tone Aqua and Bright White leather and a custom painted "decorative panel" that also revisits the topographical motif seen on the CX-5 180 Concept’s exterior.
Mazda CX-5 Urban Concept
Finished in a custom Black Mica matte paint with multi-dimensional geometric shadow areas that effectively complement the contours of its KODO-design language bodywork, the Mazda CX-5 Urban Concept creates its own kind of high-profile stealth, which is set off by Ore accent striping on the body, grille and wheels. Tasteful fender flares add a more aggressive touch to the mix, as do a set of matte-black 22-inch Ace Alloy Scorpio wrapped in Nitto NT420 all-season tires. Rounding out the mix is a Racing Beat dual exhaust system.
Mazda CX-5 Dempsey
Sole member of this elite group of SEMA one-offs to by powered by the automaker’s new 2.2-liter SkyActiv-D turbodiesel engine, the CX-5 Dempsey Concept was envisioned to celebrate the active lifestyle of actor, cycling enthusiast and Mazda racing driver, Patrick Dempsey. Also all-wheel drive, the CX-5 Dempsey features a multi-hued exterior that combines gloss Anatomy Gray, Brilliant Black and matte Black Mica set off with Luminous Red and Bright White accents. The motif — that evokes "a rugged functionality and tempered finesse" — was devised to complement the appearance of a Specialized Bicycle S-Works Tarmac road bike that hangs from its rear hatch on a Thule T2 carrier and a Thule Atlantis rooftop carrier box. Other exterior tweaks include Mazda Design-customized 20-inch black chrome alloy wheels wrapped in Z-rated Michelin Latitude Sport all-season tires, a trailer hitch and a Racing Beat dual exhaust system. The passenger compartment of the CX-5 Dempsey Concept displays the same color scheme as the exterior and is highlighted by seats upholstered in gray aniline leather with black perforated leather inserts.
Mazda MX-5 Super25 Concept
Building on the cool competition factor introduced on the earlier Super20 Concept that celebrated the 20th anniversary of the much-loved Miata, the Mazda MX-5 Super25 Concept was designed to reflect the nuance of an endurance racer rather than a sprinter. To that end, it’s gray, black and red Mazdaspeed Motorsport Development exterior treatment also includes the number 55, which also appeared on the rotary-powered Mazda 787B prototype that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991 – although the engine in the Super25 is the Miata’s standard-issue 2.0-liter inline-4. Other exterior changes on the Super25 Concept include a custom 4-lamp front auxiliary lighting pod above its modified grille and matte-black 17-inch Volk Racing T37 alloy wheels encircled with Z-rated BFGoodrich g-Force R1 225/45 tires. A single Sparco Evo driving seat covered in a Mazda Design-developed Charcoal ultra-suede material with Tomato Red perforated inserts is coupled with a Sparco 6-point racing harness to keep the driver snugly in place under max g-loads. Rounding out the MX-5 Super25 Concept’s interior upgrades are a roll cage, suede-covered Sparco R323 competition steering wheel and an AiM MXL real-time data acquisition logger.
