Mazda Motor Corporation will present SASSOU, the latest in its Zoom-Zoom philosophy of innovative, challenging designs, at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
SASSOU (pronounced ’sa-so’) is a small, lightweight, 3-door hatchback powered by a turbocharged, 3-cylinder, 1.0-litre Direct Injection gasoline engine. An engine-stop feature automatically shuts down the engine at full stops, in order to save fuel and curb emissions.
Mazda says SASSOU is a peek at where the company might be heading with its B-car. It will share the stage with the Mazda MX-Crossport concept, the facelifted Mazda2, a high-performance version of the Mazda6 as well as the recently facelifted Mazda6.
Designed at Mazda’s design centre in Frankfurt, SASSOU is a lightweight, low emission, urban vehicle for young, first time car buyers that makes everyday city driving fun, highly practical and economical. The sleek, 3-door hatchback also features unique hidden features.
The name “SASSOU” is a Japanese term that means having a positive state of mind; of looking to the future with optimism. The car employs the latest in aerodynamic techniques that visually hints at the agility and fun-to-drive attributes.
It mixes these with a unique use of exterior and interior materials and hidden features based on the “Shoji” principle. Shoji screens are thin Japanese doors made of rice paper that allow you to see the outline of what is behind without seeing the details. The Mazda SASSOU concept has attributes that are hidden within the body and are suddenly revealed by an illumination system that makes the car seem to spring to life.
On the inside is a high-tech, interactive interior concept reflecting the lifestyle of young people. It uses a USB stick as a key and an interface port for programming the hard disc drive conceived for the concept. It also features a unique “morphing” rear seating system that uses compressed air. This provides center seating for one, outboard seating for two or “flat-fold” seating to open up cargo-carrying space
Combined with aerodynamic techniques to lower drag, the Mazda SASSOU design concept indicates the potential of the Mazda B-car to meet strict European CO2 regulations in the future.
