2005 Mazda Sassou Concept

Funky Little Flyweight Could be B-Segment Buster

Its going to be really hard to avoid excessively using the adjective sassy in describing this concept from Mazda, so Ill just get it out of the way: sassy, sassy, sassy...

Well, actually, its called Sassou (pronounced sa-so), which is apparently a Japanese term that means having a positive state of mind, of looking ahead with optimism to the future, which is exactly how I would feel if someone from Mazda called me right now and told me that they will build a production version of the Sassou and bring it to the U.S.

Okay... It looks like nobodys calling. Im still grinning, though, because it is such a cute car, yet somehow still bad-ass looking. Im guessing that the Sassou is one color choice away from swinging drastically to either end of the spectrum. Bubble-gum pink and matte black being the polar extremes on my color scale. I mean,

Sassou (pronounced sa-so), is apparently a Japanese term that means having a positive state of mind. (Photo: Mazda Motor America)

can you just imagine how badass it would look in pink, with maybe some baby blue trim... B-A-D-A-S-S.

If you havent guessed that this is a small car concept yet, then this is me filling you in. It is mostly a design exercise testing the waters for certain features and general styling direction for the redesign of the Mazda2 (Demio in Japan). It will debut on September 13th at the Frankfurt Motor Show. A straightforward description might call it "a small, lightweight, three-door hatchback," and I really hope they are not kidding when they say lightweight, because it is powered by a three-cylinder

It is mostly a design exercise testing the waters for certain features and a general styling direction for the redesign of the Mazda2. (Photo: Mazda Motor America)

gasoline engine with 1 litre of displacement. I think about the only thing we get with less displacement here in North America is the smart fortwo (lower case intended), dirt bikes and riding mowers, although I could be mistaken about the riding mowers.

Actually, the 1-litre number wont be so anemic considering this is a state-of-the-art turbocharged direct injection (some MZR DISI mumbo jumbo) engine. And while this is the smallest displacement engine Mazda has used since I cant remember when (even the old Euro/Japan-spec 121s had larger engines), Im sure that Mazda has given it careful consideration and will inform us that it gets 100 miles to the gallon (or like,

The overall effect of the Sassou is one of futuristic fun-loving playfulness. (Photo: Mazda Motor America)

5 litres per 100 km), while surpassing an output of 150 horsepower. OK, the numbers wont be quite so impressive, but they will be good with the help of a turbocharger on the performance front and an idle-stop engine shut-down system that will help save gas in stop-and-go traffic. Onto another subject, Im not a big fan of in-your-face marketing and especially find zoom-zoom irritatingly pass�, but I love Mazdas cars. Nobody else seems to care that while BMW gets derided all the way back to the Black Forest for their flame surface styling, Mazda quietly and unpretentiously applied some very similar details on the Mazda3 and even the Proteg�5. Maybe its just the fact that they didnt name the design language? Anyhow, the Sassou sees an even bolder and more adventurous foray into molding body panels in such a way

The top of the car is almost entirely glass, except for the two wide strips of satin-finish metal that emanate from the A pillars. (Photo: Mazda Motor America)

that under certain lighting conditions, they create the suggestion of flames rippling over the surface of the cars body. In fact, the Sassous side panels remind me of BMWs XCoup� concept of several years back, when Bangle first sparked debate with his flamed surfaces. Maybe the fact that the Sassou was penned in Mazdas design centre in Frankfurt has something to do with the similarities?

But truly, thats just a passing detail, and the overall effect of the Sassou is one of futuristic fun-loving playfulness. The front end resembles a wildly laughing Pok�mon character with a mask-like clear plastic cover (or possibly some sort of electro-luminescent or reflective surface?) over the face set against the teal metallic color of the hood, fenders and lower fascia, while the severely tilted headlights serve for eyes. The bumper, looking like a wide open cackling mouth, is surrounded by

The need for accessory controls seems to have been alleviated by the round Borg-style interface in the middle of the dash. (Photo: Mazda Motor America)

a knocked out area to allow for airflow into the radiator. Serving for eyebrows are some tricked out turn signals that point back in an inverted V-shape to a definition crease over the wheel arches.

That definition crease disappears just under the rear view mirror, and another one starts just below it and trails all the way back into a similar shaded plastic cover over the taillights and license plate housing. The top of the car is almost entirely glass, except for the two wide strips of satin-finish metal that emanate from the A pillars, forming a truncated V when seen from an aerial view. Rounding out the package is a set of oversized V-spoke alloy rims in a matching satin finish. And peeking through those are some seriously oversized disc brakes.

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