MAZDA unwrapped two concept models in Tokyo, a foretaste not only the brand’s next-generation products but also its next-generation designs.

The Vision Coupe takes Mazda’s Kodo design, first introduced in 2010, on to a new level by using interesting concave body panels.

European design chief Brit Kevin Rice explained: “The lines look simple but then you walk around the car or see it moving down the street you start seeing different shapes.”

This effect comes from the Vision Coupe’s concave side body panels which actually reflect the environment around it in a different way.

Rice added: “While we appear to have kept the car simple and minimalistic that does not mean less is more. This was actually quite a complex operation, sculpting first in clay then digitising the design to see if the reflections work – then it was back to clay and the process was repeated over and over again. The fine tuning took two years.

“Concave panels can look dead and you have to be aware that the image they reflect will be upside down. We worked on controlling the negative reflections to achieve a positive form of motion.”

Mazda’s teams are already working on the next phase of Mazda design, but in the meantime the next stage of Kodo design will gradually be rolled out.

Part of this is also evident in Mazda’s second show car the Kai which shows how the new design philosophy could transfer to a production model. Rice insisted, however, that this is a show car and not a new RX7.