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Mazda poaches designer Kevin Rice back from BMW

Kevin Rice left Mazda a baker's dozen years ago, but now he's back.
A graduate of the Transportation Design program at Coventry University (just across town from Jaguar headquarters), Rice worked his way up in the industry working for the likes of Opel and Italdesign Giugiaro before landing a job at Mazda. Between 1995 and 2000, he collaborated on such projects as the RX-8 and the 1999 Neospace concept that previewed the Mazda2 before moving on to BMW, where the new 3 Series and 4 Series were among the last projects he worked on during his 13-year tenure in Munich.
Now back at Mazda, Rice has been named the Japanese automaker's new creative director, charged with further honing the brand's KODO design language from its European headquarters in Oberursel, Germany. We're looking forward to seeing what he and his design team come up with in the coming years.

2016 Mazda CX-3 First Drive

If there's any doubt in your mind about the importance of B-segment crossovers, consider this: our review of the 2016 Mazda CX-3 arrives on your screen less than 24 hours after our first test of the 2016 Honda HR-V. Both of these vehicles are hugely important entries for their respective automakers. And while they take a similar shape and will compete head to head, the truth is, they're very different products. The HR-V is a knockout because of its excellent packaging and added versatility over Honda's own Fit and Civic. It's a wholly competent product, and we imagine it'll be one of, if not the best-selling vehicle in the class. In terms of being desirable for customers, it checks all the necessary boxes: frugal, functional, efficient, and affordable. Mazda takes a similar approach, but focuses instead on its key strength of offering cars that are great to drive, and look damn good. What's more, the CX-3 won't have to share showroom space as the HR-V does with the Fit – the all-new Mazda2 isn't slated for the US right now. Instead, the new CUV will serve as an entry point into the brand. Because of this, Mazda is betting big on the CX-3. That all starts with a product that's appealing to the eye. Design director Derek Jenkins says Mazda "didn't want to do the funky route" with its compact CUV – a nudge to the Nissan Juke and Fiat 500X, right there. Instead, the CX-3 uses the Kodo design language that Mazda has perfected since its production debut on the CX-5 in 2012. Across the board, the company's products look incredible, and the CX-3 is right at home amongst Mazda's latest beauties. Notice the long hood with a flowing character line that runs over the front fender and down the body side, chiseled off at the end with tight rear proportions and a small overhang. Huge arches draw focus to the premium 18-inch wheels found on our Grand Touring CX-3, but swallow up the 16-inch rollers used on lesser models. The glass area is kept to a minimum, but visibility from inside is still quite good. Details like the LED accents in the head- and taillamps look premium and aggressive. From all angles, this is an attractive crossover. It's a bold, dynamic entry in a class filled with cutesy, oddball, and bland designs. Underneath the CX-3 is the Skyactiv chassis found in the new Mazda2. At 168.3 inches long, 69.6 inches wide, and 60.7 inches tall, the CX-3 is smaller than the Mazda3 in every dimension except height.

Mazda CX-30 'just right' crossover will head from Geneva into production

As more and more customers move into the crossover segment, the less the segment is one-size-fits-all, or even three-sizes-fit-all. As such, Mazda has taken the opportunity at the Geneva Motor Show to offer a new, "just right" crossover to its lineup. The 2019 Mazda CX-30, as it's called, slots between the diminutive CX-3 and the compact CX-5 crossovers. The CX-30 shares the "Kodo" (meaning "soul of motion") design language Mazda does so well, and the execution here is excellent, too. We love the long hood and simple but elegant curves, the way the light reflects off the sides in dramatic waves. Its no surprise that Mazda chose its Soul Red Crystal to show off the new model. Mazda says it had four goals for the CX-30, two of which had to do with the size of the vehicle. It needed to be small enough to be highly maneuverable, so that drivers wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere they need to go, but it also had to be roomy enough to provide a comfortable space for multiple passengers to easily enjoy one another's company. Mazda wanted the design to "embody the joy of owning something that matches your sensibilities." Finally, it had to perform in a way to provide peace of mind and a relaxing driving experience. Mazda will offer the CX-30 with its Skyactiv-G 2.0 gasoline engine with cylinder deactivation, Skyactiv-D 1.8 diesel engine and its new Skyactiv-X engine with gasoline compression ignition. Both gasoline engines will use Mazda's mild hybrid technology to help improve fuel economy without sacrificing performance. The CX-30 will also be offered with Mazda's I-Activ all-wheel drive and G-Vectoring Control Plus for maximum grip and stability. It will be available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The CX-30 is equipped with a driver monitoring system to improve safety using an infrared LED and camera to watch the driver's face for signs of drowsiness or inattentiveness. It'll alert the driver to pay attention, and will sound the braking alert earlier. Other active safety systems include available Front Cross Traffic Alert and Cruising & Traffic Support, the latter of which will employ accelerator, brake pedal and steering operations in traffic jams to help avert driver fatigue. Mazda hasn't said whether it will offer the CX-30 outside of the European market. Related Video: